Shattered Peace
by Cold Flame96
Summary: ON HIATUS. After a traumatizing accident, Ed's now 15 year old son meets El Mustang and unknowingly gets involved in a new conspiracy that could tear apart his country while his tragic past gets uprooted from the grave. No yaoi. Will feature mostly canon.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

_Author's Note~ I'm revising my story. XD It wasn't satisfying enough for me. _

_Disclaimer: Fullmetal belongs to Arakawa-sensei._

* * *

3 blond children, 2 boys and a girl, were taking a small walk through Resembool. They'd lived here all their life so they knew every nook and cranny, or at least they thought they did. Their parents didn't mind as long as they were home before dark. The younger boy started to run through the streets, earning himself some glares from a couple of citizens.

"Race ya, Brother!" he called. The older boy smirked at the challenge and began to sprint to catch up to his younger brother. The girl rolled her sapphire eyes at the two. Their parents already frequently got complaints from the other fellow citizens, and they weren't helping. She sighed when they got far ahead of her. She had to keep them in her sight, in case they decided to do anything stupid. Well, she was more worried about the older one doing something stupid than the younger, but the younger generally went along with whatever crazy plan his brother would have. She started to run after the two.

* * *

The citizens of Resembool watched as the ambulance rushed back to the hospital. A couple witnesses of the accident told them that the3 blond kids who tended to wreak havoc around the city had gotten in a serious accident. Unfortunately, they weren't able to gather more information about this accident.

* * *

The doctor came out of the operating room with a grim look on his face. He glanced over at the blond boy sitting in a chair, his whole body shaking and his eyes wide with shock. From what he had gathered, this boy was the older brother and he was the only other person who had been there. He walked over to the boy and gently touched him on the shoulder. The boy jumped from the sudden contact and looked up. His eyes were crazed and wild, and he appeared to be staring straight through him. The doctor didn't think it would do any good talking to the boy while he was in this state but he didn't really have any other options.

"Son," he said calmly. The boy flinched. He continued, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I didn't mean to." He whispered. The doctor furrowed his brow.

"Didn't mean to what?" he asked confused.

"I didn't mean to!" he said louder.

"That's okay. Just tell me what happened." The doctor said calmly.

"SHUT UP! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" he yelled hysterically. The doctor got a needle out of his pocket in case he needed to drug the boy.

"Son, no one's saying it's your fault. Please calm down."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! PLEASE DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME!" He continued to yell, tears streaming down his face. The doctor couldn't seem to get control of him. Before the doctor could use the medicine, a blond man who he assumed was the boy's father came running out of the emergency room. The man took the sobbing boy, pressed him to his chest, and held him tightly.

"Shh," he coaxed, stroking the kid's golden hair, and kissing the top of his head in comfort. "Calm down." The boy's hysterical sobs quieted down.

"It wasn't my fault," He weeped softly, "I didn't mean to."

"I know, kiddo," the man said gently, "No one blames you." The man said, voice wavering. The doctor could tell that this man was trying to stay strong for the kid's sake. He figured that by the way the boy was reacting, he would be reliving this fateful night for a long time.

* * *

_Author's Note~ Kay so let me know what you think of this please. :)_


	2. Chapter 2: 4 Years Later

**4 years later**

* * *

_Author's Note~ This chapter is...well honestly I don't know...it matters what you think though, not me._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. You guys know that though, right? :P_

* * *

"Brother, let's have a race! Catch me if you can." Theo yelled as he started running away. Alphonse got up and started to pursue him.

"Wait! Theo, you're too fast, I can't catch you!" Alphonse felt as if he were drifting further and further away from his brother, as if he was running but his position didn't move.

"You will one day, Brother. I'll be waiting." He said as he slowly descended into the darkness.

"WAIT!" Alphonse screamed. "Don't leave me! Please!" Alphonse reached out his hand to his younger brother.

"Sorry, Brother. Looks like you won't be able to catch me this time." Theo whispered. Although it appeared as if the wind was communicating since his brother had disappeared.

"Please don't leave me." He moaned to no one in particular.

"You have to wake up if you ever want to catch me. Wake up, Alphonse." It said soothingly

"Alphonse, you need to wake up now." Alphonse opened his eyes at the new voice. Startled, he jumped up looking around him wildly. Everything had all just been a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare. It wasn't the first one he'd had and heguessed it would definitely not be the last.

"Good, you're up. Get your stuff ready. We're almost there." The voice said. Then Alphonse remembered that he wasn't alone as he looked up into the Lt. Colonel's face. Had he talked in his sleep again? Did she know what he had been dreaming about?

"Alphonse, did you hear me? We're almost to Central Station." She repeated.

"Yeah, I heard you. Sorry, I was just…dreaming."

Lt. Colonel Hawkeye merely just gave a nod in understanding, although she was slightly troubled. He had been doing more than just dreaming. Regular dreams didn't cause you to wake up screaming your brother's name. Something wasn't right about this boy, she could feel it. Then the boys voice spoke her name. So quietly, she almost didn't hear it.

"Lt. Colonel Hawkeye? You mentioned before that you knew my father pretty well. Can I ask how you know him?" he looked at her steadily.

"We both worked under Roy in the military when he was around your age." She answered nonchalantly.

"I see." At this, he said nothing more, and the train came to a stop.

"We're here." She pointed. Alphonse just looked out the window and gawked at all the bustling activity. He had never seen so much activity in one place! It was freaking insane! The station by itself was so crowded that he had to shove people out of the way in order to get out. He looked around for Hawkeye's blond hair and instead found another blond had taken her was a guy this time. _He's the guy with the Lt. Colonel. Havoc I think?,_ he thought.

"Where's the Lt. Colonel?" Alphonse asked, staring coldly at Major Havoc.

"She had some errands to run. She should be back sometime tonight. Until then, I'll be your bodyguard to make sure you don't get lost." He said. He didn't sound too pleased from what Alphonse could tell. From the way this guy was staring at all the girls, he guessed that Havoc would probably much rather be on a date than with him. Although, he couldn't say he blamed him.

"Do you know a few good bookstores around here?" Alphonse asked, "I'm looking for some medical books."

* * *

Back at the Fuhrer's estate, Roy Mustang was organizing some of his paperwork while he waited for Riza to come home. She was probably still escorting the Elric boy. He heard footsteps in the hallway and then, the door unlocked.

"And just where do you think you're going? You promised me you'd keep me company until our guest got here." He said, not even looking at the dark-haired kid standing by the door.

"Father, it is almost evening already, and besides. You know I'm not much of a people person." Was the reply. Roy merely sighed and watched the kid leave with a mumbled "I'm going for a walk."

* * *

"I officially hate Central." Alphonse grumbled as he tried to navigate through the streets. _This place is a freaking maze!,_ he thought. He had somehow gotten separated from Havoc and he couldn't find his way back._ Dammit, what kind of store has two different doors? What a pain in the ass. _Then he remembered the map that Hawkeye had given him. It must be in his bag somewhere! As he was shuffling through his bag, he heard loud footsteps on the street! He tensed. They sounded close, but before he could even ponder where the person was, he was knocked down to the ground.

Man, what the hell?, he thought. He looked up and saw his attacker getting up dusting himself. He was a young boy around his age, with dark hair and eyes. Holy shit, was the guy a model? He was very…pretty he supposed was the best word to describe him. The boy met eyes with him and glared at him hatefully.

"Hey dumbass! Watch where the hell you're going next time, got it?" The boy sneered. This pissed Alphonse off. He was the one that ran into him! But yet, he had the gall to blame it on him? Such arrogance. As much as Alphonse wanted to punch the kid, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of watching him lose his cool. So, Alphonse merely met his eye with a cool stare, grunted, and walked off. The boy just watched his back. That was the weirdest response he'd ever gotten. He could've sworn that he would get a rise out of the golden-haired boy! _Hmph. So that's Mr. Edward's son, huh? How interesting._, he thought, smirking.

* * *

Alphonse continued to walk down the streets, hoping he'd find his way back to Havoc. He was still pissed because of that rude boy, but finding Havoc was more important. Then, Alphonse could've sworn he heard his name being called. He looked around and didn't see anybody familiar. _I must be hearing things again,_ he thought. He heard a distant call again. He knew he wasn't imagining it this time! Then, he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, chill out, kid. It's just me. I've been looking for you for the past half hour!" Havoc said, panting. He'd obviously been running a lot.

"Sorry, Major. I just got lost." Alphonse muttered, his cheeks heating up with embarrassment at his mistake.

"It's fine, I guess. Just be more careful next time. We should start heading towards their place now. He's expecting you, after all." Havoc smiled, trying to make him feel more comfortable. Too bad he didn't know that he was wasting his time. Alphonse was nervous, that was inevitable. He had no idea what kind of man the Fuhrer was, or what he looked like. Although, his father and Hawkeye had both tried to assure him that Fuhrer Mustang was a good man, Alphonse just simply did not take a liking to most people he met. So, he began to breathe deeply as him and Havoc started to head towards the Mustang residence.

* * *

_Damn, he's going to kill me,_ the boy thought, running. _Or worse, he'll tell Mom. _"Shit.", he muttered as his house came into view.

* * *

Back at the Mustang residence, Alphonse felt a bit uncomfortable. Although, he'll admit that this wasn't as bad as he first thought it would be. But that could also be because Elysia Hughes was here, which made him naturally ease up. Elysia is an old family friend and she used to come to Resembool and bring him and his siblings gifts. But, her visits had become much less frequent the past couple years. Alphonse guessed the reason why, but he didn't dare mention it out loud.

"So, Alphonse? You're 15 now, right?" The Fuhrer asked.

"Yeah, but I'll be turning 16 in a couple of months." He said, his attention more focused on the couch he was sitting in. It was ridiculously comfy. This didn't faze Roy one bit. He had gotten used to this sort of behavior a long time ago when he had to deal with Fullmetal.

"I see. My eldest will be 13 shortly. I'm glad you guys aren't too far off in age. Maybe you'll be friends.", Roy said that last part almost sarcastically. He highly doubted that they would become friends. Knowing his stubborn child, they'd probably end up eating each other. He heard the door open. _Speak of the devil_, he thought. He almost found it amusing how his children always had perfect timing. As the footsteps started to retreat, Mustang called them back.

"El! Why don't you come meet our guest?" Roy suggested, loudly. Alphonse's golden eyes sparked with interest at the new arrival. The interest quickly turned to horror, and then anger.

"Yes, father?", the dark-haired boy said. This was the same kid who had so rudely run into him out in the street. He thought he had saw a resemblance in the fuhrer, but he had just shrugged it off as a coicidence. The fuhrer started talking again.

"This is Alphonse Elric. He's going to staying with us for a few days." Alphonse thought he saw a hint of surprise in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced with cold indifference.

"Elric? I see. So you're that bastard's child, are you? I can see where you got your good looks from.", that last part dripping with sarcasm. Meanwhile, Alphonse was picturing a whole bunch of scenes of this supposed "El" getting beat up…by him. One scene had Alphonse dangling El over a cliff. Who the hell did this guy think he was? And how did he even know who his dad was? And what kind of name was El, anyway? Man, what a jerk. Before Alphonse could even get a word in, he was beaten to the punch by the fuhrer.

"El! You better watch that mouth of yours before you end up losing it." Roy scolded fiercely. El merely just grunted and waltzed off. This was pretty similar to how he had reacted earlier. Roy sighed, as he watched his child go upstairs.

"I'm sorry about El. Kids these days", he joked, easing up a little. Alphonse was still recovering from his initial shock. This kid was 12? When he ran into him earlier, he had been around his height. That's a pretty damn tall 12 year old. The fuhrer spoke again.

"Riza." Alphonse whipped around. When did she get there? It looked like she had just walked in. "El's had another fit. Would you like to handle it this time?" the colonel asked, head in hands. Hawkeye merely just nodded and started to head upstairs in the direction that El had gone.

"So, Alphonse, I've heard you're pretty friendly with people." The fuhrer said. Alphonse almost snorted at this last comment. Since when had he ever been considered friendly? What dumbass would tell him that? It came to him_. Of course. He would_. Edward tended to mess with Alphonse, as he claimed it was too easy. Alphonse shook his head in exasperation at just the thought of the man being troublesome, once again.

"Well, whoever told you that was obviously being a smart-ass." Alphonse said coolly.

"Actually, no one specifically told me that. That was an indirect order to you. I don't like fighting, and as long as you're staying here with us, I expect you and El to get along. You understand?" Roy said drily. _I see he inherited Fullmetal's attitude_, Roy thought. Alphonse was pondering over the Fuhrer's last statement. So far, his impression of El wasn't all that great. From what he could tell, El was rude, disrespectful, and arrogant. But, these people were being nice enough to let him stay with them for a few days, so he might as well stay on their good side.

"Alright." Alphonse sighed in defeat. Roy stared at the boy in shock. He agreed? Just like that? _Hmm, he's smarter than I thought. He knows when to keep his mouth shut_, Roy thought, smirking.

"I do need to do a little shopping, but I don't know my way around. Maybe El could go with me so I don't get lost." Alphonse said. He really didn't want to go with El, but what choice did he have? He didn't want to get lost like last time. Roy just looked at the boy fondly. He tried to ignore the feeling of dread in his stomach as he watched the golden-haired boy go upstairs to go talk to his child.

* * *

El was still sitting in his room pondering over what his mother had told him.

"El, when are you going to stop this rebellious phase of yours?" Riza had asked.

"I wouldn't really describe this as rebellious. I'd say it's because I've finally opened my eyes to what's going on around me and I don't like it. Not one bit." El said darkly.

"Whatever it is you have against Edward, do not take it out on Alphonse. That boy has been through enough, and he doesn't need this from you." Riza scolded. El just scowled when she mentioned Edward. Why did she have to bring HIM into this? He was the last person El wanted to talk about!

"Why could possibly be so bad about his life? He's the famous Fullmetal Alchemist's son." El said mockingly. He shrank at his mother's icy glare. She wasn't amused, not in the least bit.

"I suggest," she said slow and deliberate, "that if you want to stay in the military, you stop being so ignorant and grow up." At this, she left the room, clearly upset.

El had never thought of himself as ignorant. Conceited, maybe, but never ignorant. He started to feel slightly remorseful for mocking Alphonse. He, of all people, should know that having a hero as a father wasn't all peaches and cream. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a quiet, almost tentative knock, on his door. He got off his bed and unlocked the door to find out who would want to converse with him. He was only slightly surprised to find Alphonse at his door. Alphonse was looking at the ground in embarrassment. El put a mask of cold indifference over his initial surprise.

"What do you want?" He asked. That came out a bit harsher than he had intended, but there were no takebacks. He could've sworn he saw a look of rage cross those golden eyes, but if it was there, it was soon replaced by the same look of cold indifference that he, himself, wore. Alphonse couldn't process why the guy was so hostile towards him. What is his problem? He didn't deserve this!

"I merely just wanted to ask you if you wanted to escort me around Central tomorrow." Alphonse said tightly. El flinched. He had been blatantly hostile towards him, and he was inviting him to something? El almost felt bad for his harsh words. Almost. But he still couldn't get over the fact that Alphonse looked just like his bastard of a father. And his eyes themselves, were like ice. Just looking into them made him shudder. Just what had this guy gone through to make him like a wall of ice? It had to have been hell.

"Oh really?" El sneered, "and what makes you think I'd hang around with the likes of you? I can't imagine what people would say if they saw me mingling with a lowlife like you." El smirked. Maybe he could some kind of emotion out of this guy if he insulted him enough!

Alphonse was trying the hardest he could to stay calm. His knuckles were shaking with his suppressed anger. First, this guy screamed at him in the street, then he insulted his father, and now he was mocking him? What nerve!_ If this guy keeps running his mouth, he's gonna regret it, _Alphonse thought darkly. But, he still kept his temper under control. He would not let El get the satisfaction of knowing he'd hit a nerve.

"Well, I need to go shopping, and I figured you know your way around here better than I do." He replied coolly. El practically pouted in disappointment. Did this guy have any emotion at all? He's more heartless than his father! El was suspicious. If he was Alphonse and he was being treated this way, he certainly wouldn't want to pal around with the people insulting him! There was something else going on.

El narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How much are they paying you?" he said scathingly

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alphonse asked, clearly confused.

"My parents. It's obvious they payed you to talk to me. Well, I'll pay you double if you leave me the hell alone." He said matter-of-factly. At this suggestion, Alphonse shot him a glare.

"They didn't pay me anything! I just decided that I was going to be nice and not stoop down to your level." Alphonse said through gritted teeth. El was not happy with his answer. Stoop down to his level? What was that supposed to mean? But before he could get a biting remark out, he was interrupted.

"Elie, why are you causing Alphonse so much trouble? As a guest, he should be treated with respect." They newcomer said. Alphonse snapped his head around at the stranger's voice, and saw that El was being addressed by a young boy. He was probably around Trisha's age with blond hair, and chestnut eyes.

"Shut the hell up, Maes! This has nothing to do with you!" Elie snapped, staring down the boy. Alphonse recognized the name almost immediately. Maes? The Fuhrer's son? El's brother? He sort of felt bad for the young boy having to be related to such a pain in the ass. Maes challenged his brother's glare and, after what seemed like forever, turned his brown gaze over to Alphonse.

"You're Alphonse, right? Mr. Edward's son?" he asked, curiously.

"Yes." Alphonse said hesitantly. It was obvious that El loathed his father, so maybe Maes did too.

Maes smiled. "Great! It's so nice to meet you! Mr. Edward talks about you every time he visits.", Maes said enthusiastically. So far, this was the nicest that any of his hosts had been to him today. "How do you know my father?" Alphonse asked curiously.

"He used to come to Central about once a month and he stayed here so he wouldn't have to pay for a hotel." Alphonse explained. "Me and Elie got to know him pretty well. We've met Miss Winry once or twice as well." They had met his mom too? With this knowledge, you'd think they would've been a little more welcoming to him.

"Maes", El warned, "just because you're younger than me doesn't mean I won't kick your ass. Stop talking about that bastard." Maes didn't seem fazed at all by El's threat. He just grinned at him.

"You're horrible at bluffing, Elie. You won't lay a hand on me." He said confidently. Alphonse was just watching them blankly. How can two siblings dislike each other so much? Him and his siblings got in fights, but he would give his life for them in the end. He couldn't help but be amazed by Maes' confidence. Alphonse figured that El could probably put up a fight, but Maes didn't seem the least bit intimidated. He couldn't help but think that Maes reminded him of someone. He continued to observe the sibling rivalry.

"Don't underestimate me, you cocky little brat." El said, grabbing Maes' shirt. Maes just rolled his eyes and pryed El's hands off the material. He turned around as if he nothing had happened and walked over to Alphonse.

"I apologize. Elie is not a people person." He said, bowing. This gesture left Alphonse unsettled. Something about this kid made him uneasy.

"Hey, don't apologize for me as if I'm a small child!" El yelled.

"You practically are a child.", Maes retorted. "I sometimes feel as if I'm the older brother. I was hoping you wouldn't take out your personal issues on Alphonse, but apparently I overestimated your maturity level." Maes sighed. Alphonse nearly jaw-dropped. This child wasn't any older than his sister but he had the wisdom and maturity of an old man. This response clearly got under El's skin.

"Shut up! You don't know anything about my personal issues! I don't need pity from a damn kid!" El screamed.

"I don't pity you. I'm merely just disappointed." Maes said coolly. Maes grabbed Alphonse's arm and led him out of the room. Alphonse could feel El's burning gaze boring into his back as he watched him retreat from the room with his brother.

"So, not to be rude, but why exactly are you staying with us? My parents never told me." Maes asked tentatively. This boy was acting totally different from how he was just 5 minutes ago.

"Well, my parents had to take my sister Sara to her special doctor." Alphonse said nervously. He didn't want to say too much to the intuitive boy.

"Why couldn't you go with them?" Alphonse flinched. Was this whole freaking family out to get him? He sighed. No point in lying.

"Sara doesn't like it when me and Trisha go. It makes her uncomfortable. So, Trisha went to my uncle's and your parents offered for me to stay here." Alphonse said somberly. Maes could clearly see that he was hitting a sore spot with Alphonse so he decided not to probe him any more.

"All right. Sounds good enough to me." He said, grinning. Alphonse almost let out a sigh of relief. He was almost sure that Maes was going to keep asking questions, but was really glad when the boy let it go. The boy was too keen for his own good.

"Here's where you'll be staying." Maes stopped in front of a door. Alphonse opened the door and walked into the bedroom. The room, although plain, was very large and spacious, with a small balcony outside the window. Alphonse looked around him curiously, slightly awestruck by the immense size. Maes began to speak.

"Let us know if you need anything." He said lightly, then he frowned. "And make sure to tell me if Elie starts acting up." He waved lazily, exiting the room_. Why the hell is this kid so familiar?,_ Alphonse thought. _I'll have to be careful what I say around that one._ He heard a knock at his temporary bedroom door. It was probably Maes or the Fuhrer coming to check up on him. He opened the door and held his breath at the person standing in front of him. El looked nervous and guilty. _Maybe what Maes had said made him feel bad, _Alphonse pondered. He banished that thought. El was too headstrong!

"Do you still need someone to go shopping with you tomorrow?" El mumbled bedgrudgingly. Why did he look so defeated?

Alphonse cocked an eyebrow. "I guess?", he said skeptically. He wasn't really sure what to say. He didn't really want to go with El, but Maes made him uneasy. And, it would be rude to refuse since he was the one who offered in the first place.

El seemed to perk up immediately. "All right, I'll go with you. But, we're going to do it my way." He said, pointing his finger in Alphonse's face. Alphonse bristled. What did he mean by "his way"?

"Fine, I'll go wherever you want." Alphonse grumbled in defeat. He was tired of fighting with this guy. El was disappointed that he had given up so easily. This guy wasn't much fun.

"Yo, alchemist! How many stores are you planning on going to?" El complained. Alphonse blew him off and continued to look at the variety of medical books in front of him. _Dammit, don't they have any she doesn't already have?,_ he groaned to himself. If he had to visit shops with El any longer, he was going to lose it! That boy was not in the least bit patient, and all he'd done for the past 3 hours is complain. Alphonse wanted to shove some paper in his mouth to get him to shut the hell up.

"All right, we're done with this store. Is there another one nearby?" Alphonse decided. El glared at him. He was kind of taking advantage of his hospitality!

"Yeah. There's one about 3 doors down." He grunted. What a damn pain! Alphonse just ignored the other guy's sour attitude. He had a mission, and he wasn't going to give up until it was complete! Then Alphonse remembered that he had promised El they'd go wherever he wanted too. He sighed in frustration.

"We can go where you want first." He muttered, almost inaudibly. Unfortunately, El had very acute hearing and he immediately brightened up.

"All right, then come with me. There's something I've been wanting to check out." He ordered. Alphonse just shrugged and followed the dark-haired boy. How bad could it be? It's not like El could be more unbearable than he already was, right?

Oh, if only he knew how wrong he was.

* * *

"Well, we're here!" El said enthusiastically. After what seemed like hours, they finally had reached El's destination. Alphonse looked up warily to see what kind of place they'd trekked to, and sweat-dropped when he saw the displays in the window. A gun store. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let someone like El own a weapon. Little did he know that El was already familiar with he heard El squeal. Wait, hold on a minute, squeal?

"Alphonse, look at it! Isn't it beautiful?" El was pointing at a machine gun. Alphonse sweat-dropped as he watched his companion bounce up and down excitedly over the weapon. Was this guy seriously fangirling? Something is seriously odd about him. Or, maybe he's….no he can't be! Could he? Alphonse's face went beet red at the thought. Was El…? He didn't get to finish that thought when he felt a tugging on his shirt.

"Alphonse, you have to buy this for me!" El pleaded. Was this guy serious?

"Hell no!", Alphonse snapped.

"Why not?" El whined.

Alphonse gave a huff of exasperation. "Why should I? You've been nothing but rude to me since I got here, and I don't have any money anyway." This was technically a lie. Apparently, El saw through his bluff as well because he sent him a menacing glare.

"You're a dirty liar! You do too have money! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been going through all those damn stores." He said through gritted teeth. But, Alphonse wasn't giving up.

"I'm not buying you anything, so you can just forget it!" He glared stubbornly. He was saving that money for something special. He wanted to keep his promise for his sister, just this once.

* * *

_"Well, Sara. I'm getting ready to leave. Would you like me to buy you anything while I'm there?" Alphonse asked gently._

_The girl in the wheelchair went silent, her blue eyes in thought. Then she spoke up._

_"I could always use some new medical books. Yeah, that's it. Just get me some medical books." She said bored, waving her hand dismissively._

_Alphonse smiled at his sister. "All right. I promise I'll only use this money for you. Okay?" Sara looked taken aback by her brother's gentleness. Her normally unemotional, stoic face slowly slid into a dazzling smile._

_"Sure, Brother. I'll take you up on that promise. Don't disappoint me." Alphonse smirked. Challenge met._

* * *

Alphonse noticed that the store was starting to get pretty crowded. He reached in his shorts pocket for his wallet to check how much money he had. His face was frozen as he saw that his hand had come out of his pocket empty. His eyebrow began to twitch and he frantically searched his entire body. _No! No, no, no! How could I have lost it?_, he screamed in his head. Oh man, Sara was going to kill him! He looked around for El to ask if he had seen him drop it anywhere. But, there was no sign of the loud-mouthed boy either.

Alphonse sunk in defeat, planning out ways that Sara was going to murder him. Beat him to death with her books. Put poison in a shot-needle. Either way, there was no hope left for him. He felt a thump on his head. He looked up and saw El, looking smug. What's he so happy about? He noticed the thing El had thumped him with and nearly started laughing maniacally with joy. It was his wallet! It must have fallen out of his pocket and El found it!

He was about to thank his rude companion when he checked his wallet and noticed that it was completely empty. What? Someone stole his money? Cartoonish tears started going down his face when he realized what this meant. He was still dead. He looked up at El, shaking and finally noticed what El had been so smug about. He got that machine gun he'd been ogling earlier! But, he didn't have any money, so where did he..? Wait….he didn't! El gave him a cocky grin. Alphonse's fists shook in anger. He did! That bastard!

"Thanks for letting your guard down. You had more money than I thought you would." El sneered. Alphonse stood up slowly and deliberately, his face turning red with rage. He spoke slowly and calmly.

"You went and spent my money on your stupid gun? Maybe there was a reason why I told you I was broke. How do you know I wasn't saving up my money for someone special?" Alphonse's voice was shaking now, his head down to conceal his face. He knew that he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"So what?" El said decisively. Alphonse flinched. "You think I give a damn about that? I'm El Mustang, and what I want, I get. No one else matt-.." He didn't get to finish when he was knocked to the ground by something hard hitting his jaw. He rubbed his face where he was hit, there was definitely going to be a bruise later, and looked at his attacker. Alphonse was standing over him, fists clenched, eyes seething with rage. El gulped. Oh, shit. He put his hands in front of his face but as he did, he saw Alphonse storm off. He noticed his gun and reached out to grab it, but Alphonse kicked it, hard, towards the wall and out of his reach. The startled customers watched as the angry golden boy slammed the door, shaking the whole store.

_Huh. I can't believe he hit me!_, El thought as he was getting back on his feet.

Alphonse stormed over to the nearest telephone booth and called for a ride. He didn't know his way back and he certainly wasn't going to walk back with that bastard. He took out the piece of paper with Elysia's number on it, and dialed.

* * *

After about 10 minutes, Elysia finally arrived, although she wasn't the one driving. Havoc was. Alphonse got in the car without saying a word. The silence was broken by Elysia.

"Where's El?" she asked, concerned. Something happened, she was sure of it.

"He wanted to check something out, so he told me to go on ahead of him, and he'd walk home." He lied smoothly, trying his best to keep his voice steady. He didn't want Elysia to see him in this state because he knew she would just get worried and ask questions.

Havoc didn't believe a word coming out of the kids mouth, and he was pretty sure Elysia didn't either, but he didn't ask questions. _This gives me an excuse to get away from the little brat, so I'll roll with it,_ he thought as he backed out of the parking lot.

Maes sat on the roof, lost in thought. He was worried about Alphonse. The teen had come home this afternoon by himself, although he had left with Elie in tow. Alphonse looked as if he was about to start sobbing then and there.

"Alphonse. You're home." He frowned, looking at Alphonse's face. "What happened?" he asked, concerned. Alphonse just shook his head, as if saying something would uncover the mask he had put on himself.

"It's Elie, isn't it?" Maes said sadly. Alphonse just shrugged, muttered "I'm going to bed." And dragged himself up the stairs.

Maes furrowed his brow at the memory. Something had definitely happened, and as usual, it was Elie's fault! He rubbed his temples. Stressing out about it wasn't going tohelp anything, so he got down from the roof and snuck in through the attic window. He tiptoed through the long hallway on the way to his room when he paused. He could hear a voice, and it was coming from Alphonse's room. The door was open, so Maes peeked his head in to see Alphonse looking out the window, back completely to him. But, he wasn't looking at the sky. He was holding something, a picture. Of what, Maes wasn't sure, and he was very quietly whispering.

Alphonse had been unable to sleep, and it wasn't because of the dreams either. It was because of what had happened this afternoon. He couldn't get it out of his mind! Once again, he had failed. He kept repeating this to himself over again as he looked at the picture in front of him. It was a picture of him and Sara when they had been around 6 and 7.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I broke my promise again." He whispered hollowly.

Maes put his head down in shame and guilt even after climbing back in bed. Alphonse was very troubled, and El ruthlessly stabbed at his nerves. _No, Alphonse. We're the ones who should be apologizing._

* * *

_Author's Note~ Yes? No? Maybe?  
_


	3. Chapter 3: Dreams

**Dreams**

* * *

_Author's Note~ Here's where the angst begins. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, blah blah you know how this goes. :P_

* * *

Maes was sitting in the living room, when El barged in, a bruise on his face.

"Welcome home! Nice bruise." Maes grinned, and watched as El scowled in surprise and narrowed his eyes. El seemed to be about to leave the room without a word, but Maes was not done yet.

"Where did the bruise come from? You get in a fight?" Maes asked innocently. El glared at him from the corner of his eye.

"Shut up," he said rudely.

"Is it because you said things you shouldn't have?" El flinched. He whirled and glared at him scathingly.

"I thought I told you to shut up!" he snapped.

"Why should I? You didn't." Maes retorted. El closed his mouth abruptly. He was at a loss for words., so Maes took it as an invitation to continue.

"What did you say to him, Elie?" he challenged. "According to that bruise on your face, you went too far."

"Why does it matter? He over reacted. It wasn't that big a deal." El said dismissively.

"If it wasn't a big deal, then why won't you tell me?" Maes mocked. He was sure he could get Elie to crack with a bit of persuasion.

"Because it's none of your damn business!" El yelled. Maes just sighed.

"Y'know, you should really be more sensitive of others feelings. Mr. Alphonse…I think you hurt his feelings." He scolded. Maybe he could make Elie feel guilty. But Elie wasn't giving in that easily.

"So what? That's not my problem," El said icily.

"Elie, you just don't understand, do you?" Maes sighed.

"Understand what? That he has mental problems? I kinda got that," he said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't really have much room to talk." Maes spit. El cringed and gave him the look of death. Maes cowered when he caught sight of his brother's now black eyes, but there was no backing down now.

"Maes, I hope that if you're fond of living, you weren't actually aware of what you just said," El said darkly.

"I was perfectly aware. And I meant it." He challenged, trying to keep his voice steady. He was very well aware that El was much bigger than him in size and would have a clear advantage should they ever get in a fight. He had stepped onto forbidden territory, he knew that. But, he felt it was the only way to get Elie to take him seriously.

"So," El said calmly, too calmly. "You're suggesting I have mental issues?" Maes gulped. He had better choose his words carefully or else he'd end up like that lion rug on the floor in the den.

"I'm not suggesting you're mental," he said slowly, uneasily, "I'm merely suggesting that you are the same as Alphonse. You both are suffering on the inside, but you don't want to show it." El's face scrunched and he bit his lip. Maes knew by this gesture that he had struck a nerve.

"I don't know what you're talking about." El mumbled unconvincingly. Maes' face softened

"Elie, when are you going to stop hiding who you really are?" Maes asked.

El regained his hard mask. He gave a sinister chuckle."You're so naïve. Don't you get it, Maes? This is who I am." He gestured to himself.

"What about the person you were 4 years ago?"

"Rejected," El said curtly. Maes widened his eyes, dumbfounded

"Why?" He croaked desperately. "What do you have to be ashamed of? You were the one person I'd always admired the most, even more than Mom and Dad! Why would you give that up?" he paused. "We were so happy." He whispered.

"Oh please." El scoffed. "That was merely just a façade I used to get people to like me." His voice was rising. "You guys may have been happy, but I never was!"

"And you're telling me you're happy now?" Maes voice cracked, "Because I don't believe it. I may be naïve but I'm not delusional. You can fake happy all you want for Mom and Dad but I can read your whole story through your eyes. You're miserable, lonely, and scared!" he squeaked, suddenly feeling his eyes stinging. _Oh great,_ Maes thought_, Tears? Now?_ El twitched, glowered at Maes. Then, before the younger boy could realize what was happening, his older brother brought up his fist, and swung towards him.

Maes put his hands in front of his face in self-defense. He closed his eyes and only snapped them back open when he'd noticed that he hadn't been touched. He looked above him and noticed that his brother's fist had collided with the wall.

El brought his fist down from the wall and stomped off. Maes watched his brother get further away and he realized, as a tear fell, that he didn't care anymore about keeping his cool. He ran after his brother, some unspoken word on his lips. Something like, _Wait! Don't go!_

The last thing he saw was a twisted, sad smile on El's face before the older boy slammed the door on him. Maes could only stare emptily as he heard a _click _from inside as it locked.

* * *

Alphonse had avoided El all day. He didn't want to speak to him. He didn't want to hear the arrogant bastard brag about himself, see that smug smile play on his lips as if he'd told a funny joke. Surprisingly, though it hadn't been intentional, he hadn't seen Maes all day. He hoped the boy put El in his place. For some reason, although Maes was younger, he seemed to know how to keep El in line. He was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at a map. He wanted to know his way around Central so that next time, he wouldn't need some asshole to guide him around. He looked up as Riza's voice broke his concentration.

"Alphonse?" she asked. She was looking at him, intently. He ignored her and pretended to be deeply invested in the map. He could guess what she wanted and he didn't want to talk about it.

"Alphonse." She said more fiercely this time. "Would you mind telling me what exactly happened yesterday? El wouldn't tell me anything useful." She said resting her hand on her head. Alphonse rolled his eyes. Gee, big shocker there.

"I'd prefer not to go into detail." He said monotonously.

"Well, then give me the simple version." She said, her chestnut gaze unwavering. She was persistent.

"He brought back unpleasant memories. That's all I'm telling you." He said stubbornly, not meeting her eyes. Riza sighed.

"Well, then that's your choice. I won't force you to tell me anything if it is unpleasant for you." She said, getting up from the table. Alphonse watched her leave and quickly turned his attention back to the map. He felt slightly guilty. She was only trying to help, that was her job. But, revealing to her what happened between him and El, would mean that he'd have to reveal what happened almost 4 years ago, and he just wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

* * *

Roy was sitting at his office slacking off from his paperwork, as usual, when Lt. Colonel Mustang walked in.

"Well? What did you find out?" Roy asked, all his attention focused on his subordinate.

"Sir, El would not tell me anything." She said saluting.

"And Alphonse?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"He refused to go into detail. He did say that El brought back unwanted memories for him. That's all I could get out of him." She reported.

"Ah, I see. So El ran her mouth again?" he asked irritated.

"It would appear that way, sir." Her mouth was in a thin line. They were troubled with El's rebellious behavior. He was going to get himself in trouble if he didn't learn to keep his mouth shut.

"What should we do about this, Lt. Colonel?" he groaned.

"I suggest that we let Alphonse handle it himself. Let him speak his mind. Our interference will not do any good. This is something El is going to have to learn the hard way," she stated. Roy grunted in agreement.

"Do you really think Alphonse will put El in line? He's been avoiding him all day today." He asked.

"I do, sir. If Alphonse is anything like his parents, then he won't be able to put up with El much longer."

"I see. Very well, then. You are dismissed." She saluted.

"Make sure to come to dinner today, sir." She threw as she departed.

"Right. I'll do my best." Roy smirked. _She didn't notice my paperwork was piling up,_ he thought as he leaned back in his chair, _she must be off her game. _As Hawkeye was walking out the door, she turned around at the entrance and narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"Sir, make sure to finish that paperwork of yours." She glared at her husband. Roy frowned. _Dammit! How does she do that? _he cursed silently. At this, Riza departed.

* * *

Alphonse sat on the roof, with Maes beside him. He wasn't sure how to feel about the little boy coming up here so often. Sometimes the kid would fall asleep up there, much to the Fuhrer and his wife's dismay. It also made Alphonse uneasy how Maes seemed interested in getting to know him better. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why anyone would want to know more about him. Maybe it was because of his Dad; that, at least, was certainly part of it. Or maybe Maes was just drawn to messed up people.

"Mr. Alphonse," Maes asked, breaking the silence. "What is your dream?" Alphonse was slightly baffled by this. This question was sort of random. He wasn't really sure how to respond. He ran a hand through his bangs. His dream? Huh. No one had ever asked him that. Except…nevermind that thought.

"My dream, huh?" he muttered, "Hmm." Maes leaned in closer. "I used to know, but I'm not so sure anymore." He gave a half-hearted smile. Maes knew Alphonse was probably not going to redirect the question so he took the liberty of jumping in on it.

"My dream," he said. Alphonse hadn't expected him to talk and looked at him with curiosity. Maes continued, "My dream is to be the best state alchemist the world has ever seen! Even better than Mr. Edward and Mr. Elric were. I want people to recognize me for who I am and not who my parents are. I want to be a hero of the military!" He said. Alphonse looked at the boy in horror. The boy had been replaced with another blond-headed boy, although this one had blue eyes. _What the hell?_ he thought, _am I losing it? Why am I seeing his face?_ Alphonse opened his eyes again but the image of his brother didn't go away. He was still there, right where Maes should've been.

"What do you think, Mr. Alphonse?" Maes paused. Alphonse was shaking and looking straight at him, no straight through him, as if he wasn't even there. Did he say something wrong? He put his hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "Mr. Alphonse?" he said quietly. Alphonse swatted his hand away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Alphonse screamed. But before Maes could react to his outburst, Alphonse got up and ran off the roof, not caring how strange his behavior might seem to Maes. He winced as he thought he heard Maes's hesitant footsteps after him, but the sound faded, so Maes must have just given up.

Alphonse didn't know where he was running to. He just knew he wanted to get away, away from the house, away from him. _So, Theo,_ he thought, _you're haunting me in reality now too? Is this your way of paying me back? To make sure I never forget what happened that day?_

* * *

_"Hey, Big Brother! Check it out!" Alphonse made his way over to the voice._

_"What is it, Theo?" Alphonse asked, brow furrowed._

_"Look!" Theo grinned. Then, Alphonse noticed the transmutation circle below his brother's hands. Theo put his hands on the transmutation circle and blue light started flaring around the circle. Theo then pulled what looked like a metal rod out of the ground. Alphonse was in awe. His little brother was able to perform alchemy! The only other people he knew who could do that were Uncle Al and Auntie Mei. Nina and Shu probably could too, but he had never really payed much attention to it. Too much of a pain in the ass._

_"Hey, that was pretty cool!" Alphonse praised. "Did Uncle Al teach you that?"_

_"Nope. I just read some of Dad's alchemy books." Theo said proudly._

_"Do you plan on being a State Alchemist like Uncle Al?"_

_"Sort of." Alphonse raised his eyebrows. Theo grinned. "I plan on being the best state alchemist this world has ever seen! Even better than Uncle Al! I want to be someone great, somebody truly amazing, someone worth remembering. It's my dream!" Alphonse was startled by the intensity in his brother's blue eyes._

_A couple hours later_

_Alphonse and Theo were laying in the grass looking up at the stars, tuckered out from their wrestling match earlier._

_Theo turned his head to Alphonse's still form. "Brother." Theo said quietly._

_"Hmm?" he grunted._

_"What is your dream?" Theo asked. Alphonse let out a quiet gasp. He had never thought about it before._

_"My dream?" he muttered. "Hmph. It's too much of a pain in the ass to think about that stuff," He grunted, flicking Theo on the head. "Dreams are for losers anyway." He snickered, sneaking a peek at his younger brother. Theo sat straight up in shock._

_"Hey, no fair Brother! I told you mine!" he whined. Alphonse just waved his hand dismissively. Later on that night, Alphonse was lying awake in his bed watching the stars. He watched as his brother's chest rose and fell and thought again of the question that Theo had asked him earlier. He smiled softly at his sleeping brother._ My dream,_ he said silently,_ is to make sure that you can live yours, Theo.

* * *

"Geez, what the hell was that all about?" El muttered. He had just got done shopping when Alphonse almost barrelled into him in his rush to get out of the house. El would've asked what his problem was, but he figured the smart-ass blond wouldn't tell him anything anyway so he shouldn't waste his breath. El brushed himself off and walked into his large living room. The living room was mostly bare except for a large tan couch in the center, with a mahogany coffee table adjacent to it. There was a gigantic fireplace at the edge, and a tacky lion skin rug below the table.

"Oy!" El called. "Mom? Dad? Maes?" When he got no response, he almost gave up until he heard loud frantic trampling down the stairs. Maes appeared at the living room doorway, confusion and fear clearly etched in his face.

"What happened?" El interrogated, shaking his brother.

"I don't know." Maes whispered hollowly. "We were just sitting up on the roof talking about our dreams, and as soon as I mentioned my dream, he had a major panic attack and just bolted." By "he", El assumed he meant Alphonse. "When I tried to find out what was wrong, he screamed 'don't touch me' as if I was some kind of monster." He finished, his voice shaking. El took his hands off Maes' shoulders. This was the second time that Alphonse had freaked out. The first time was when El took his money, although after thinking about what Maes said earlier about him having scars, he was starting to think that the money hadn't been the real issue. It was something else, something deeper. _Well, whatever his personal problems are, he shouldn't take them out on 9 year old boys!,_ El thought angrily. _How low can you get?_

"Elie, I want to look for him to make sure he's okay, but after the way he reacted to me earlier, I'm not sure if that'd be a good idea." Maes said on the brink of tears. El clenched his jaw and stalked off towards the door.

"Elie, where are you going? Are you going to find him?" Maes asked

"Something like that." El said through gritted teeth. _I'll probably kick his ass in the process, _he thought begrudgingly.

* * *

El found Alphonse sitting by the fountain not far from HQ. How he found his way this far he would never know.

"Hey, asshole," El said coldly. Alphonse lifted his head and El nearly stumbled. His eyes were wild and were full of grief, despair, guilt, anger, loathing. El wasn't even aware that eyes could even hold that much emotion. He had only seen Alphonse's vulnerability for a second before his eyes hardened and his look of sorrow changed to that of disdain.

"What do you want?" he asked hollowly. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit." El regained his composure and his rage returned as he remembered why he had come in the first place.

"What did you do to Maes?" El accused meeting Alphonse's eyes.

"Go to hell," the blond said tiredly. El walked over and got so close to his face that their noses were practically touching and grabbed his shirt.

"I asked you a question," El spit. "Who the hell do you think you are? I don't really give a damn what kind of personal issues you have, but don't bring my brother into them!"

"Don't touch me!" Alphonse yelled, pushing El forcefully away from him. El looked up to see Alphonse's crazed topaz eyes looking down at him. They were looking straight through him, as if he wasn't there. "You don't know anything about my problems, so don't act like you're all high and mighty!" El cowered as Alphonse lifted his leg up. Alphonse saw this motion and smirked nastily.

"Aww, what's the matter? Are you afraid of me?" he mocked. Then his eyes darkened again with fury. "Are you afraid of me like everyone else?" he yelled. "Why? Why are you afraid of me? It was an accident, dammit!" He crumpled, "An accident." El just looked on with uncertainty as the blond boy kept muttering about how it was an accident. Damn, talk about a mental breakdown. He was so unpredictable, and to be honest, that terrified him. His eyes flickered with understanding and he touched his shoulder in sympathy. This scene was all too familiar to him. Maes had been right about them being the same. He clenched his fists in anger at himself. Now was not the time to lick his wounds. He needed to be the strong one, right now. If force wasn't going to work, then maybe he could try being more gentle. Alphonse recoiled at his touch.

"Look," El looked into his crazed eyes, "Maes is really worried about you. If you come back and talk things out, I might be able to help you." He said evenly.

"There's no way you can help me. Not someone like you," he said glaring at him.

"Yes I can. I know how you fee-." El was cut off as Alphonse began to laugh psychotically.

"You? Know how I feel? Please. You're just a spoiled, selfish brat. You've gotten through your entire life because Daddy bribes people to like you. You're just dirt. No, you're worse than dirt. You're nothing but trash." He mocked, his mouth curving up into a malicious snarl. El drew in a sharp breath. _Stay calm, El._, he shuddered as he looked into Alphonse's glazed honey-colored eyes. _Don't let anything he says affect you. You have to remain strong. Think! What would Maes do?_

"Alphonse, you're sick." He said gently, desperation growing in his voice. "You could end up hurting yourself or somebody else. Just trust me."

"Hurt somebody?" he said as if the realization were dawning on him. Then he clenched his jaw. "FUCK YOU!" he screamed. "Stay out of it! You make me sick just looking at that disgusting arrogant face of yours. Go die in a hole!"

El bit his lip, trying to hold back the tears. This was bringing back way too many unpleasant childhood memories. Almost like déjà vu. He could feel some of the truth of Alphonse's words sinking in.

"You're sickening."

El could feel the tears starting to well up_, _and clenched the material of his pants as he sank to his knees._ No, dammit! I can't cry now!, _he thought desperately, as a tear rolled down his cheek. This was worse than being kicked repeatedly over and over again. Only one other person had ever brutally insulted him so ruthlessly, and he had pushed that memory back a long time ago. That memory was beginning to resurface.

"Go die. That would make all of us happier."

This must be Mr. Edward's way of paying him back for treating his son so poorly. Karma really was a bitch._ Are you happy now, El? You got to see his inner feelings._

Alphonse just stood like a statue, eyes like golden ice while the raven-haired child began to break down in sobs. He started to walk away from the scene of the 12 year old boy clenching his clothes in a death grip, while crying angry, bitter tears. He turned and walked away, not knowing or caring where he was going at the moment. El tugged at his coat.

"No! Please! Don't leave me! Not you too!" El whispered, tears streaming down his face. Alphonse was no longer present in front of him anymore. Alphonse only stared at him as though he was some kind of stranger, roughly yanked El from himself, and walked away.

But, it wasn't Alphonse El was calling out to, it was a young man with brown hair and green eyes, smirking down at him in amusement at his pain. El's last little bit of hope that the boy would come back to him faded away as he watched his back fade away in the distance. Those eyes! Those weren't the eyes of a sane person. _Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! How could I be so stupid? How could I not have seen him crumbling on the inside?_ As El was trying to stifle his tears, it dawned on him that he had ruined it. No one was going to rescue him this time. He had severed every bond he had, and now he regretted it.

* * *

Alphonse woke up to find sunlight streaming in his face. He shot up in surprise. He was in his room at the Mustang place. When had he come home? Last thing he remembered was being on the roof with Maes. Had it really been just a whole day since then? If so, then why couldn't he recall anything else that had happened? Damn, his mind was all fogged up. How long had he been unconscious?

"So you're finally awake," He whipped his head around at the voice.

"Elysia," He recognized, "How long have I been out?"

"Most of the day." Her eyes looked wary.

"Oh," He said solemnly. Elysia put her head down, afraid to meet his eyes. Alphonse was always so laid back! She knew that the accident had been traumatizing for him, but she didn't realize just how much it had affected him, even almost 4 years later.

"Elysia," He said, breaking out of her trance.

"Y-yes?" Her voice was shaking, Alphonse noted. Why the hell was she so timid?

"What time is it?"

She cleared her throat, so he wouldn't notice that she was frightened. "Around 5 PM." She said steadily.

Alphonse was silent. Elysia was looking at him so warily that he could only wonder what had happened yesterday. Alphonse threw his covers off and slowly got out of bed. He noticed Elysia tense at the sudden movement. He went to his suitcase and got a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and headed downstairs. He was starving!

When he got downstairs, the first thing he noticed was out of the ordinary was that both the Lt. Col. and the Fuhrer were home early. They were whispering in hushed voices when he got close to the doorway. When he walked in the kitchen, they became silent. Okay, that was weird. He looked over to El, but the other boy avoided eye contact and just sat there quietly. Alphonse noticed that his eyes were hollow and dull, and his appearance more unkempt than usual. He looked around for Maes, but couldn't seem to find him.

"Alphonse," The Fuhrer said in a clipped voice. Alphonse stopped in his tracks to show he was listening. What could they want with him this time?

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Alphonse narrowed his eyes. He tried to find malice in the man's eyes but only found sympathy and a bit of pity, much to his annoyance.

Alphonse just shook his head. He really didn't remember anything. Everything was all fuzzy. The fuhrer just nodded in confirmation and stood up from his chair.

"Well, I suppose I should get back to work then," He stretched his wrists, and went on his way back to HQ. "Don't do anything rash, Alphonse," He patted Alphonse on the shoulder. Uhh, okay? He met eyes with Mrs. Mustang and she stood up from the chair as well and headed towards the door. Did she ever not follow the Fuhrer?

"I will be running some errands. Alphonse, there are some bagels in the pantry and some already made coffee if you'd like some," She said brusquely. Alphonse took her up on that note and grabbed a bagel from the pantry and poured himself a cup of black coffee. He didn't like all that creamer shit. He needed to think. Why was everyone treating him with so much compassion? Was it the anniversary already? He started to count the days. No, it wasn't. It was just a regular day, so what was the deal? He couldn't get his thoughts processed clearly in this stuffy kitchen. He needed some fresh air.

* * *

_Man, how long is he gonna keep watching me like that?_, an irritated thought going through his head. _Moron probably thinks he's being stealthy. _

"Do you need something?" he asked curiously. He heard a twitch behind him, and turned his head back calmly, "Or are you just gonna hide in the shadows?" he teased. El put his head down, face heating up with embarrassment.

"You can come sit down if you want. I'm not gonna bite you," Alphonse sighed.

"Are you sure about that?" El asked uneasily.

Alphonse gave a little huff of frustration. "No, I'm lying to you," He said sarcastically. "And anyway, it's your house, not mine. Do what the hell you want. Besides, when have you cared whether I approved or not?" he said pointedly, his face seemed in a permanent frown.

El, on shaky legs, walked uncertainly over to sit next to the golden boy. Alphonse just gave a quizzical look and then shrugged it off. They just sat there in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, a red-faced El looking down at the ground the entire time, while Alphonse looked up at the sky feeling the wind blow through his loose hair. He loved being outside. It always calmed him, the feeling of the breeze blowing through his hair, the sounds of the birds and other animals, the smell of the crisp air. The only thing he hated was rain. Rain was just so damn depressing, not to mention it made him sleepy.

"I'm sorry," Alphonse sighed, breaking the silence. El snapped his head around, astonished.

"What?" he said shell-shocked. His chestnut eyes were like full moons. He probably seemed like an idiot and he almost expected Alphonse to get all annoyed with him. But, surprisingly, Alphonse just looked at him evenly.

"I said I'm sorry." He said somberly. "I don't remember what happened last night but I'm guessing I went psycho."

"You could say that." El muttered. "How'd you guess? Was it because everyone's been treating you bizarrely?"

"That's part of it. The other hint was you had been crying." His eyes were packed with guilt.

"How'd you-." Alphonse cut him off, waving his hand in El's face.

"I'm pretty familiar with what crying does to your face. I used to look at the same thing in the mirror pretty frequently." He grimaced. El hung his head down.

"So, sorry….that you had to see that. I haven't gone hysterical in over 2 years so I don't know what happened there." Alphonse concluded, running his hand through his bangs.

"Sure, whatever. Not that I care or anything, but what triggered it? Was it something my brother said?" El asked suddenly curious. He'd freaked out like this before?

"I wish I knew," Alphonse said distantly.

"Well, I guess it's inevitable that you have problems. You are Mr. Edward's son," Ed said, stretching his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Alphonse glared.

"I'm talking about your mental problems. When you have a dad like that, I guess it's only natural," El said haughtily

"What the hell is your problem?", Alphonse snapped. "I'm trying to be nice to you and you insult my dad? Man, what is wrong with you?", he smacked his hand on his forehead, "I don't really give a damn if you hate my guts or whatever, but don't bring my family into this!"

"Okay, okay. Geez, I was only joking," El said testily.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not laughing. Hate to disappoint you," he sulked.

"Fine. Whatever, I get it. You're still pissed off about the money I stole you from you, right? Will it make you feel better if I pay you back?", El glowered at him.

Alphonse groaned. "You're such an idiot. I don't care about that,"

"Who are you calling an idiot?", he shrieked, "And what do you mean you don't care? If I were you, I would be pissed. I wouldn't just let them off the hook. Don't you think you're a little too damn lenient?" Alphonse tried his best to ignore him. But his voice was so high-pitched and irritating, it was hard not to lose his temper with him.

"I wouldn't say I'm lenient. I just don't like to hold grudges. Too much of a pain in the ass," he complained. El just looked at him blankly, as though Alphonse had said he was an alien from outer space. _Geez, _Alphonse thought, _Some people can be so uptight. He can't even believe someone just wouldn't care enough for payback. Seriously, it takes enough energy just to get my ass out of bed in the morning._

El's blank look, however, soon morphed into a cocky little grin. "Heh. You're so soft. You have no backbone. You probably wouldn't even have the guts to get me back. It's a good thing I'm too much of a challenge for you," He boasted. Alphonse looked at him steadily, his mouth twitching.

"Challenge, huh? Are you stupid? Do you honestly I'm going to let you go scot-free?" He smiled smugly. "Someone's gonna have to tell my sister that she won't be getting her medical book for her collection." He hinted. _And I'm certainly not going to do it, _he thought darkly.

El nearly fell off the roof from his last statement. "Your sister?" he practically yelled.

"Yes, sister. You know, like a brother, only a girl," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm well aware of what a sister is, smart-ass." El barked. "I just didn't know that was why you were looking for medical books," he pouted.

Alphonse was beginning to get a head-ache."Yeah. I promised her I'd get her a limited edition medical book or some bullshit like that." he grunted. Then he gave El an "Are you stupid" look. He got that look pretty frequently from Maes so he was familiar with it. "You thought I would go to all that effort for myself? Could you honestly imagine me as a person who'd read medical books, let alone buy them for myself?" he raised his eyebrows, and sighed, rubbing his neck. "What a pain in the ass. Do you know how expensive those damn things are?" he complained. El just continued to stare at the boy in disbelief.

"B-but. Y-you had, you had around 15,000 cens in your wallet. W-what book is that expensive? Isn't..isn't that a little much?" He stuttered in incredulity.

"I brought extra just to be safe. But now, she's gonna kill me." He sunk down in defeat.

"Who the hell would spend that much on a damn book?" El muttered in annoyance.

"Why does it matter to you? It's your fault I wasn't able to get it." He mumbled, then looked at El and smiled deviously, "I think since you took the liberty of stealing my money, then you should take the liberty of telling my younger sister exactly why she isn't getting her book. I warn you though, she's pretty violent when she's pissed off." El sweat-dropped.

"You want me to go back to Resembool with you?" El asked skeptically.

"If it means you'll take the brunt of my sister's anger instead of me, then yes," he said nonchalantly. El just sighed and shook his head. This guy was unbelievable.

* * *

When Roy came home for dinner that night, he was nearly stunned by the sight of him. His whole family was sitting at the dinner table, plus Alphonse. But, the astounding part of this scene, was El, Alphonse, and Maes were talking, and they actually appeared to be getting along. _Should I be concerned, or did I just miss something?_, he wondered. He was relieved that Alphonse was all right. El had come home last night, his eyes haunted and bloodshot, as if he'd just seen a ghost. He had sent a search party for Alphonse, and a few of his men had found him passed out on a park bench. Riza spotted him standing stone-still in the hallway, smiled at him, and then let her eyes flick back to the trio.

"Welcome home." She got up from her chair at the kitchen table to greet her husband. She strode over to him, an amused smirk on her face from his flabbergasted expression and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her waist, while she kissed his cheek and nestled her head into his shoulder. He looked into the kitchen watching fondly as the trio continued with their conversation. He could tell from El's sulking expression and Alphonse's confused yet amused look that Maes was probably teasing El. Although Maes was very mature for someone of his age, he still never stopped teasing his older sibling. That was something he would never grow out of. _He's so much like Hughes sometimes, it scares me, _Roy reflected. _Although, he reminds me a bit of Alphonse too._ Yes, Al had always loved teasing him and Fullmetal.

"Roy," Riza said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He gazed down into her reddish-brown eyes.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"Do you think you could try to come home earlier from now on? You're overworking yourself. Your kids hardly even get to see you anymore." Her lips were set in a firm line. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this one. To be honest, he didn't really want to. It already displeased him that he barely saw his family. The only reason he was able to see his wife is because she was his subordinate. Not to mention, leaving early would give him an excuse to not do that damn paperwork.

"Of course," he said tenderly, pulling her closer to kiss her softly. After they pulled away, she gave him a stern look.

"You still have to do your paperwork though," she said casually, breaking from the embrace.

_Damn,_ he cursed silently as she walked back towards the dinner table, _how does she always know what I'm thinking? _He followed his wife and went to sit with his family.

"So, anything you guys want to fill me in on?" Roy asked, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

"Not really," El grumbled. Roy sighed. Typical El response. He directed his question to the two blonds.

"Alphonse?" he tilted his head. Alphonse muttered something inaudible and looked down with an embarrassed expression. Roy finally went to his last hope. "Maes?" he asked hopefully.

Maes grinned maliciously. " and Elie love each other now." He teased, an evil glint in his dark eyes. This seemed to get their attention.

"Why, you little-." El said through gritted teeth, lunging toward his brother. Alphonse was too stunned to speak so he just gave an amused smirk. He didn't seem to be offended by this suggestion.

"So, is it true then?" Roy stifled a chuckle, clearly amused.

"HELL NO!" El screamed

"Yeah, totally," Alphonse said with a straight face. They said this simultaneously. Roy's jaw-dropped.

"Alphonse, I was joking," Roy said in shock. Was Alphonse…? No, he couldn't be.

"I wasn't," Alphose looked at him evenly. El's eyes were as wide as moons, and he started to stutter but he couldn't get the words out.

"Alphonse…are you? Are you gay?" Roy whispered. Alphonse gave a smug grin, which led Roy to believe it was true.

"That depends. Are you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Roy spit out his drink. How could he even suggest that with his wife in the same room?

"I can't believe you're even suggesting that. Did you not notice I was married with a family?" Roy said exasperated.

"It could all be a cover." Alphonse said casually. Roy's eyebrows twitched, and his face began to turn a darker shade. Cocky brat!

"Don't turn this on me!" Roy snapped. "I was asking you a serious question!"

"So was I," Alphonse said indifferently. "I was making a serious point. If I'm gay, then so are you. Since it's obvious you're not, I think you have your answer about me."

Meanwhile, El and Maes had been barely following the conversation, mouths agape. After Alphonse stated he wasn't gay, El gave a sharp sigh of relief, his beet-red face starting to return to its original color.

Riza was trying to cover up her laughter. El was so easily flustered. As for Alphonse, he was quite the bold one. Edward smarted off when he was younger, but that kind of question would've left him gasping for breath and then screaming in anger. But, Alphonse. It didn't affect him at all, and he responded so offhandedly as if this was a normal topic to converse about. He was a peculiar one.

* * *

"Oy. Alchemist." Alphonse turned his attention at the familiar greeting to the figure leaning against the doorway.

"Hmm?" he grunted. El walked over and shoved a handful of coins in his face.

"What the hell is this?" Alphonse asked, surprise clear in his widened golden orbs.

El sighed testily. "It's the money I owe you, dumbass," he said rudely.

"Why? We already had a deal," He furrowed his brow in confusion, turning away from the money.

"Yeah, well, if your sister is as violent as you say she is, I don't feel like being your damn human shield. I have too much going for me," El smirked knowingly.

Alphonse scoffed. "Give me a break. The only thing you have going is your shitty attitude. All you are is a pain in the ass," he shook his head in disbelief at the 12-year-olds conceit.

El glowered at him,offended. "You think everything is a pain the ass," he said exasperated.

"Well,you're the biggest one," Alphonse retorted.

"Just take my damn money!" Alphonse watched as El dumped the coins on his bed.

He shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy. We both know that the only reason that you're paying me back is because you're too much of a chicken to face my sister," he watched the other boy's reaction. El was such a hothead, it was fun to make him squirm.

"Like you're one to talk!" he roared, "You were trying to use me because you're too much of a pansy-ass to face her yourself!" he stared Alphonse down. Then Alphonse suddenly felt a hard fist hit his arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" he whined

"For your little stunt earlier," El poked his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"What are you, stupid? You know exactly what I'm talking about, dumbass!" El kept poking his chest.

"No, I really don't," Alphonse cocked an eyebrow, "Explain it to me."

"Ugh, forget it! You're lucky I don't have my gun with me. I would so kick your ass right now if I could," he said darkly.

"Whatever," Alphonse muttered. "Are you done?"

"Unfortunately, no. My dad told me I have to bond with you somehow or some other bullshit," he said repulsed.

Alphonse raised his eyebrows cynically. "Bond, how?"

"How the hell should I know?" El waved his hands in the air.

"I guess we can figure something out," Alphonse said defeated.

"Yeah. But I'm only doing this so my parents will stop nagging me," he confirmed, "I still don't like you, so after it's over, let's promise to never do it again."

"Fine by me," he said nonchalantly, "But, I'm not going unless Maes goes too."

"Fine. Whatever. I couldn't care less," he dismissed, stomping out of the room.

"Oh, one more thing." Alphonse called to his retreating back. El turned and narrowed his eyes. "Stop calling me alchemist. I don't perform alchemy." El lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Mr. Edward's son wasn't an alchemist? Huh. He figured that bastard would ride his kid's ass about doing alchemy. _Whatever, _he thought, _alchemy or not, he's still an asshole._

* * *

A young man in a mask returned to his president. He'd gotten all the information he needed. The presidents would probably reward him. But first, he needed to see Lotis. He came to a shabby cabin. He pulled off his forest green hood and revealed his chocolate-brown hair. He did not, however, take off his mask, as that was against customs. He picked up the rusty knocker and knocked, trying not to knock too hard, as he was afraid that the dismembered door would break. Another older man in a similar mask with a red overcoat opened the door, it creaking as it slid open.

"What do you want?" he said grumpily.

"I have information. I thought I'd run it by you first," The young man bowed. The younger one then handed the elder man 3 photos.

"Why the hell are you giving me pictures of some damn kids?" he snapped.

"I need you to make copies" The younger one said calmly.

"Don't screw with me. I have better things to do," The older dismissed.

"These kids are somehow closely acquainted with the Fuhrer. Will you help me?" the young one pleaded.

"The Fuhrer, huh?" The elder smiled maliciously. "All right. You got a deal," He said cheerfully. _Close to the Fuhrer?_ he thought, _These kids could prove to be useful._

* * *

_Author's Note~ Kay all done. Man, I just now realized this but the chapters are pretty long. :P No wonder they take so long for me to get off my lazy butt and type. _


	4. Chapter 4: The Date Gone Wrong

**A Date Gone Wrong**

* * *

_Author's Note~ Kay so this chapter took me forever to write. I don't even know why. :P_

_Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist isn't mine. I just enjoy playing with the characters. :)_

* * *

Alphonse had never stopped regretting bringing El shopping with him. Even Maes was proving to be quite a nuisance, asking a million questions a minute.

"What about this one, Mr. Alphonse?" he held up a book that was frayed around the edges. It was obviously worn.

"No, Maes," he sighed. _God, this is such a pain in the ass_, he thought begrudgingly. _I'll make Sara pay for this later._

"Here." Alphonse found a book getting shoved in his face rudely. He moved the book out of his face to glare at his perpetrator.

"What the hell is this?" he asked hotly.

"It's your book, dumbass!" El snapped hotly. Alphonse looked at the Golden book. It was a limited edition, and from the looks of it, it was already paid for.

"El, did you pay for this?" he chastised.

"Yep. You owe me." El glowered.

"Why didn't you just give it to me to buy?" he groaned

"Because I want to get the hell out of here!" he yelled. He was more agitated than usual. What had him on edge?

"Elie, why are you so touchy?" Maes voiced his thoughts.

"Because, I just feel like...like something's not right. Like we're being watched or something," he said looking around him shiftily. Alphonse rolled his eyes.

"Geez, you're so paranoid."

"Whatever," El grumbled, "You got your stupid book, so can we just leave?"

"Fine, let's go," Alphonse decided.

* * *

"Hmm, I see. Interesting. So she has an alchemist friend now?" a girl muttered. "Hey, Cora!"

"What?" her friend asked.

"Come check this out. El got a new friend. Looks like he's around our age."

"Is he attractive?"

"Only one way to find out. Wanna get closer?"

"Whatever you want, Lena." She smirked.

* * *

"So, Elie, what'd you buy?" Maes broke the awkward silence that had been going on for about 10 minutes. El began to get animated.

"I bought a brand new rifle! Check it out!" he got out a shiny new rifle. He pointed it at Alphonse.

"What the hell? Don't point that thing at me!" Alphonse yelled.

"Why? The safety's on." he asked confused. He loaded it.

"How do you know? Did you even bother to check?"

"Don't need to." El said as he squinted through the lens and aimed it at Alphonse. The gun went off and he heard Alphonse yelp in fear. He looked up and saw that the bullet had narrowly missed his head by 2 inches.

"Are you insane? You almost hit me!" he screamed. El sighed.

"Yeah, almost. But I didn't," he said nonchalantly.

"That's because I dodged it!"

"Oh trust me. If I wanted to hit you, I would've," El said darkly.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you some kind of sadist?" Alphonse said through gritted teeth. Maes intervened.

"It means Elie's a good shot. She doesn't miss that often. So, if she missed you, which she did, then that means she purposely didn't hit you." Maes stated.

"Why the hell were you aiming at me in the first place then?" Alphonse said breathless.

"To scare you. Plus, I needed to test the gun." El shrugged.

"Great. Well, I'm glad I could be your practice target," he said acidly. Then he paused. "Wait. Hold on a second." He furrowed his brow. El rolled his eyes.

"Yes?" he said drily.

"Maes said 'she'. So does that mean-?" he widened his eyes.

"El!" his statement was cut off by two girls heading in their direction. They were wearing their school uniforms. One of them had long curly red hair, whereas the other had black hair in a bun. El face-palmed and groaned.

"Oh, perfect. It's those two."

"Who the hell are they?" Alphonse asked annoyed.

"Elie, isn't that Miss Cora and Miss Lena?" Maes asked.

"Yeah." He muttered. The two girls walked up to them, the spiky-haired one smiling happily, and the red head looking bored.

"Hey, Elie." The red head waved casually. "Who's your friend?"

"He's no one important," he dismissed. Alphonse gave him a death glare.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," he grinned politely at the black haired girl, while holding out his hand. She blushed and shyly shook it.

"Looks like Cora's got the hots. Great, now she'll never leave," El said irritated. "You gonna do something about it, Lena? She's your friend." He glowered at the red head.

"I prefer not to get involved," Lena said monotonously.

"What the hell are you guys doing here anyway?" El said harshly.

"Elie, you shouldn't be so rude!" Maes scolded. Lena smiled softly and ruffled Maes' hair.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," she said sweetly. She turned her attention back to El. "I noticed from afar that you had a friend with you and Cora wanted to find out if he's attractive." She looked over at her friend and gave a snort of amusement when she saw them talking. Or more like Alphonse was doing all the talking, while Cora listened and took in every word he said like a sponge. "I guess she was satisfied. Your friend doesn't seem to mind too much though so I don't think I'll have to intervene." She sighed.

"Yeah, he's quite the ladies man." El sneered.

"Even so. We should probably go back to school now. This was our lunch break." Lena said begrudgingly.

El grunted in agreement. Lena walked over and grabbed the back of Cora's polo.

"Come along, Cora. We have school."

"But…um…Alphonse was talking and…um…it'd be rude to interrupt…right?" she said shyly.

Before Lena could say anything, Alphonse spoke up. "Oh, it's fine. I don't want you to get in trouble for being late because of my rambling," he said kindly. Cora bit her lip.

"Well…um…if you put it that way, then I guess we should go back." Cora caved. Lena walked over to Alphonse. She bowed her head down in deep respect.

"Thank you for being so kind to Cora."

"Uh, sure." He said taken aback. "Are people normally mean to her?"

"It's not that. She has a lot of friends. We go to an all-girls private school here in Central and she lives in a family entirely of girls, so the few guys she's ever actually talked to have considered her shyness to be a bit weird." Lena said casually.

"Oh, well I have 3 sisters. So I guess you could say I'm an expert on girls," he responded, shrugging.

"I see. Well, it was nice to meet you, Alphonse." She departed, dragging her friend away with her. "See you later, El." She nodded at El. "You too, Maes." She smirked. El glowered at their backs.

"They're nice girls, Elie." Maes smiled. "Elie?"

El remained silent. There was something about them that he had never really trusted.

"Elie, are you coming?" El snapped back to reality. Maes and Alphonse were leaving without him.

"Yeah." He mumbled, catching up to the 2 blonds.

* * *

"Hey, Elie. Why don't you like them?" Maes asked.

"Who?" El said distantly

"Miss Cora and Miss Lena. Didn't you go to school with them when you were younger?"

"Yeah," El mumbled.

"Were they unkind to you?" Maes asked solemnly.

"No." El sighed. "It's hard to explain. Something about them just sets me off, almost like a warning sign." Maes nodded his head in understanding.

"What I want to know is why you aren't in school," Alphonse piped in. Maes saw El bristle.

"It's none of your damn business! But, if you really wanna know, it's because I joined the military academy," El said haughtily.

"Then shouldn't you be at the academy then instead of wreaking havoc around Central?" Alphonse said smartly. Before El could make a biting retort, Maes cut in.

"Well, Mr. Alphonse. Elie's already graduated," Maes explained cheerfully. Alphonse nearly jaw-dropped.

"Graduated? Aren't you like 12?" Alphonse was talking directly to El.

"I'm turning 13 next month!" El snapped.

"Oh, that changes a lot," he said sarcastically, "What kind of parents let their 12 year old kid join the military?"

"Mine." El huffed. "Any more stupid questions?" Alphonse smirked.

"Just one." El glared at him. Alphonse coolly ignored him and continued, "Why didn't you bother telling me that you were a girl?" El stopped in her tracks.

"Hmph. So you figured it out, huh? Took you long enough," she grunted.

"Well, it's not like you made it obvious." Alphonse grumbled.

"But I thought you were the 'expert on girls'?" El mocked.

"Sure, on normal girls!" he retorted.

"What, are you saying that I'm not normal?"

"Normal girls don't cross dress to make themselves look like guys!" El shut her mouth.

"Just forget it," she muttered crossly. "It's not worth it." She stalked off. Maes sighed. Why couldn't they just get along? It really wasn't that hard of a concept.

* * *

"Uh-huh. All right. I'll tell him. Thanks." Riza hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Roy asked curiously.

"Edward. He says their train ran late," she reported.

"Does this mean that Alphonse has to stay for another day?"

"It would appear that way, sir." She nodded. Roy groaned. "Is there something wrong with that, sir? I didn't find Alphonse to be that unpleasant," she pointed out.

"It's not just him. It's El as well." He sighed. Riza nodded solemnly, understanding what he was implying.

"Sir, it's getting late. Would you like to go home?"

"Sure."

When they got home, they weren't surprised to find Alphonse and El glaring at each other, and Maes shaking his head at the immaturity of it all. Roy rolled his eyes.

"What happened this time, Maes?" He figured his son was the only who'd actually give him a straight answer.

"Honestly, this fight was over something so stupid, that I don't even remember." Maes grumbled. Roy went over to the two kids, and raised both hands. He brought them to the back of the kid's heads, resulting in a double smack.

"Aahhhh! What the hell, old man?" El screamed angrily. Roy glared daggers down at his daughter.

"'What the hell?' That is no way to talk to an adult, El. I suggest you watch that tongue before I burn it off," he said darkly. El's face went deathly pale. Alphonse just rubbed his head, obviously knowing better than to talk back to the older man. It appears that Fullmetal did teach him something after all, besides being a smartass brat. Roy cleared his throat, demanding attention from the two teens.

"Now listen, you two," he said coldly, "I'm really sick of the fighting. You both are being spoiled brats. El, you're going to be joining the military soon, right?" He glowered at her. El gulped.

"Yes, sir." She stated in fear.

"Well, then act like it. We have men on that field, not whiny little girls." Then he turned his attention to Alphonse.

"As for you, you are a guest in my house. You are also older than El by 3 years, so act your age. Quit stooping down to her level. You're as bad as she is." His dark eyes gleamed. "If I have to, I'll handcuff you together and have Riza serve as your babysitter." He smirked. Riza glared at him, which made him quickly rethink. "But I won't. I believe that you two can be mature enough to work it out for yourselves."

"Just face it, old man," El cut in, "We're too different. It's not gonna happen." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Oh, it'll happen," he said chillingly, "Tomorrow, you two are going on a "get to know each other better" date. Without Maes. I will have 2 guards posted nearby at all times, but you won't know where they are. If you two fight at all, my 2 guards will report back to me, and the punishments will be severe." El glared at him and Alphonse just stared at him blankly. He silently challenged his headstrong daughter to challenge him, and was slightly relieved when she didn't openly object. He cocked his eyebrow. "I'll take your silence as a sign that I've made myself clear?"

"Sure," Alphonse said bored. El muttered something inaudible under her breath. Roy knew it probably wasn't anything nice, so he didn't bother calling her out on it.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other," he said smugly.

"Hold on a second," Alphonse broke in. The Fuhrer frowned.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. So, that won't work."

"Well, actually, your father called this morning. You'll be staying an extra day because they're late. Have fun tomorrow." He waved as he walked away.

* * *

El was sitting in the booth at the restaurant down the street from her house. Alphonse was sitting across from her scarfing down some kind of chicken. Damn, this guy eats a lot. It's amazing he's not a total fat-ass. She stabbed the meat on her plate with all of her pent up anger, not really caring about keeping her violent tendencies under control at the moment. She glowered at Alphonse, who was more focused on his chicken than he was on her.

"Oy," she grunted.

"Hrm?" he looked up from his plate, mouth half full of chicken, a bored expression on his face.

"Why do you eat so much?" El huffed. "Do your parents starve you or something?" The blond stared at him coolly.

"I'm a teenage guy. We eat a lot. My mom calls me, my dad, and my uncle 'stomachs on legs.'" He said slightly amused by the nickname. "So, quick question." El raised her eyebrows in response to show she was listening. "You're 3 years younger than me and a girl, so how are you so tall?" He asked confused. She smirked.

"What's the matter? You mad because a 12 year old girl is as tall as you?" she taunted.

"I could care less about that." he snorted. "It's not my fault my dad gave me his pipsqueak genes." El almost chuckled at that statement. If he didn't look so much like him, she would have a hard time believing that Alphonse was even related to Mr. Edward. It was almost creepy how they looked so similar, but were practically opposites.

"So, it doesn't bother you that you're short?" El probed. Alphonse scowled.

"I'm not short. You're just really damn tall." He grumbled. Okay, so maybe they were more alike than she thought.

"I'm only 5'4. I don't really consider that tall." El rolled her eyes. "You're just in denial."

"Shut up. Girls get their growth spurts before guys do." He scrunched his brow.

"Sure. Just keep making excuses." El teased. He glared at her.

"Hey, I could make fun of you for looking like a guy just as easily," he threatened.

"You could, but it wouldn't affect me. You see, there's a difference between you and me. My appearance is intentional, whereas, as you stated earlier, yours isn't." she pointed. He smirked.

"Is that so? So, how come you didn't bother telling me that you were a girl then, _Elizabeth?_" She snapped her head up.

"How did you know my real name?" she demanded.

"I didn't. You just told me." He shrugged. She dragged her nails across the table. Manipulative bastard. He did that on purpose. "You still haven't answered my question." Alphonse brought her out of her thoughts.

"I just didn't feel like it, okay?" she replied testily.

"All right." He said nonchalantly. El was slightly shocked that he took that answer so casually but was grateful that he didn't ask any more questions about that touchy subject.

They sat in awkward silence for a little while. El got her napkin to doodle on it and searched her pockets for a pen. Damn, she must've forgotten it. She snuck a peek at Alphonse, who was digging into dessert._ Damn, where does he put it all? _She thought, then she shook her head to clear her head. _Focus, El. _She tapped the blond on the arm. He met eye contact.

"Do you have a pen on you?" she asked begrudgingly. He looked slightly confused for a second and then started fishing in his shorts pocket. A second later, he brought out a green pen and tossed it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. He grunted and turned his attention back to the cake in front of him. She clicked the pen and started sketching on her napkin. She almost laughed in delight at how smoothly it wrote on the lumpy cloth. This was a nice pen. She was probably going to end up stealing it. She was sure Alphonse wouldn't mind. It was amazing how she was able to concentrate so easily on her sketch while someone else was here. Normally, the company would bother her for conversation but Alphonse seemed to like silence almost as much as she did. She had just started drawing the rivets when he interrupted her.

"Whatcha drawin there?" he asked curiously. She sighed crossly. So much for silence.

"The future," she replied drily, "Now hush. I'm trying to concentrate." She dismissed the matter. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't look offended at all. Then again, she had been nicer about it than she normally would've been. Normally, she probably would've told him to mind his own business and leave her alone. But, he was the one who gave her this amazing pen so she did have a slight bit of gratitude towards the boy.

"Elie, the bill's here." He nudged her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes.

"Did you just call me 'Elie'?" she asked annoyed, a hinted threat in her voice.

"Sorry. I hear Maes call you that, so I guess it kind of grew on me."

"Maes is the only one who's allowed to call me that," she said icily, getting up and stalking off. She left the whole bill for him to take care of. He was the one who ate half the menu, so he could pay for it himself.

* * *

After Alphonse paid the bill, he went to go look for El. Although he enjoyed messing with the hothead, he actually hadn't meant to set her off this time. Frankly, he knew those guards were hiding out somewhere and he didn't feel like getting his ass kicked by the Fuhrer tonight.

"Do you need some help, young man?" Alphonse snapped his head around to meet the voice. It was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and gray eyes.

"Uhh, sure. I'm looking for my friend. She has short black hair and a fiery temper. Have you seen her?" he asked the man. The man smiled, which put him on edge. There was something almost sinister about this man, but he wasn't sure what it could be.

"Black haired girl? Was she around your height?" he asked, using his hand to mark her height. Alphonse twitched.

"Yeah." He muttered.

"Oh well, now that you mention it, I did see someone walk by here. She looked kind of pissed," The man said, slightly afraid. Alphonse wondered what El did to this man to make him afraid of her temper. Geez, she was such a pain in the ass. She was worse than Rina.

"Did you see where she went?" he sighed.

"She went that way." He pointed north, "Do you want me to help you look for her?" he asked kindly. Alphonse stiffened. He didn't really trust the man for some reason, but he did need to find her before those damn guards found out.

"Okay," he said begrudgingly. They ran through the alley that the old man had gestured to. He made sure to stay behind the man, as he still didn't trust him. There was something almost sinister about him. They found El sitting on the roof of the gun shop. What is with this family and sitting on rooves?

"El!" he called up, making sure not to use her other nickname. He watched as her black head moved and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah?" she asked casually, as if she didn't just run off and cause him a bunch of trouble.

"What are you doing?" he asked crossly.

"Finishing my design in peace since you were bothering me." She said proudly.

"Well, can you come down? Those damn guards saw you storm off and now they're looking for us." He said irritably.

"Sure." She stood up and walked up to the edge of the roof. She prepared herself to jump off.

"Don't jump off, you dumbass! Are you trying to kill yourself?" he yelled.

"Relax, pipsqueak." She smirked. "Do you know how long I've been doing this?" She walked over to the pipeline and slid down it. She stalked over to Alphonse, giving a triumphant grin. "See? No harm done."

Alphonse twitched with annoyance at the reckless girl.

"Yeah, no harm done." He said sarcastically, "Except for the fact that your sadistic pyromaniac father is gonna kick our asses when we get back." He said scathingly. El tilted her head.

"Why would he do that? We haven't fought." Alphonse face palmed. Was she really that dense?

"Because," he began slowly, "the guards saw you storm out and so they think that we had a fight." He paused to make sure she was comprehending. "And they're going to report to the Fuhrer what they saw." He finished. "Do you understand now?" he asked drily. He watched as El's face went red. She apparently didn't appreciate his tone and was obviously trying to control her temper.

"Well, you found me, so let's go." She grumbled.

"I only found you because that man over there helped me." He replied testily. The old man had standing awkwardly in the corner as they argued. When El looked to the old man, her eyes turned into slits and she clenched her jaw. Before Alphonse even knew what was going on, he saw the old man fall to the ground, blood spilling out of his chest. He looked up to see a stone-faced El pointing a pistol at the spot where the man had just stood, smoke coming out of the barrel.

He widened his eyes in horror as the realization suddenly came to him. El shot him. Shot him. He had to admit that the old man was a little creepy but to be shot like that in cold blood, he didn't deserve that.

"El." He whispered in fear, "What the hell did you just do?" She remained silent, sticking her pistol back in her pocket. Had it been there the whole time? How could he have not noticed?

"El-"

"Let's go." She said coldly, cutting him off. She spun on her heel and power walked out of the alley.

"El!" His voice was shaking "Why? What just happened? Why did you shoot him?" he asked, collapsing on his knees from the shock. She glared at him icily.

"Alphonse, how much information did you give him?" she demanded harshly. He cringed.

"What do you mean?" he whispered hoarsely. She forcefully grabbed and started shaking him aggressively.

"Focus! What did you tell him?" she asked desperately. He could detect fear in her brown eyes.

"I didn't tell him anything." He croaked. "I didn't really trust him." She let go of his shoulders and nodded curtly.

"Good." She said brusquely. "At least we don't have to worry about that."

"El!" he said dazed. She turned around. "Why did you kill him?" Her eyes darkened and she tightly clenched the gun in her pocket.

"I could feel the hatred and bloodlust coming off of his body like waves." Her voice shook with suppressed anger. "That thing." She spat. "He wasn't human!"

Alphonse clenched his fists. "Wasn't human? And that gives you a reason to kill him?" he said dangerously calm, "For all you know, he could've just been an innocent chimera," his voice shook with suppressed rage. El narrowed her eyes.

"That 'thing' wasn't a chimera." She said repulsed.

"WHO THE FUCK CARES?" he exploded. She jumped back. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"What are you talking about? He would've killed you." She said, slightly fearful.

"AND YOU KNOW THAT FOR SURE? DID HE GO UP TO YOU AND TELL YOU 'HEY, I'M GONNA KILL YOUR FRIEND' THERE?" he yelled, "NO! YOU MURDERED SOMEONE IN COLD BLOOD BASED OFF AN ASSUMPTION THAT COULD'VE BEEN WRONG!"

"I-I-" she stuttered

"THAT'S IT! JUST STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed. She flinched.

"Alphonse-" she tried to speak but he moved away from her, giving her the coldest glare he could muster. She slowly backed away from his icy golden gaze. He stomped off, feeling her chestnut stare bore into his back.

* * *

Sara Elric was sitting on the train with her parents and two sisters, on her way back to Resembool. Rina was chattering to her dad about all the different gears and parts in his leg. Trisha was quietly knitting, while her mother appeared to be sleeping. She put her face in her palm. These last few days had made her tired, but she couldn't sleep right now, even if she wanted to. What the doctor had told her was too troubling. Not to mention, the nightmares had returned as they did every year around this time. The anniversary of the accident. Had it really been four years since then?

"Sara," she snapped out of her thoughts and slowly took her face out of her hand to meet her mother's eyes. She stared at her evenly.

"Why don't you go to sleep? You look exhausted." Winry stroked her matted wheat-colored hair gently.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled. Winry frowned.

"You're having nightmares again, aren't you?" Her mother asked worried.

"I always do around this time," she said monotonously.

"You have to try to not think about it."

"Trust me, I do." She met her mother's gaze, "But even if I manage to distract myself in the day, it won't stop the dreams from coming at night." she pointed in defeat. Winry narrowed her eyes,

"The accident's not the only thing that's bothering you," she accused. Sara looked away guiltily. She sometimes hated how perceptive her mother could be.

"Are you bothered by what the doctor told you?" Winry asked.

"Don't I have the right to be?" she asked drily. "I'm surprised you aren't." Winry flinched, stung. Sara immediately regretted being so harsh when she saw the hurt and concern in her mother's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." she sighed. "I just meant that you and Dad took it really well, better than I thought."

"That's because we're trying to stay strong for your sake, and for your siblings." Winry's voice wavered.

"You don't have to be. My health does not concern me. I'm more worried about you guys." She smiled sadly.

"Are you gonna tell your brother?" Winry asked in a low voice.

"Absolutely not. It's none of his concern." She said coldly. Winry widened her eyes in shock.

"Sara, he's your brother." She scolded.

"I don't care." she retorted. "Not his problem." She turned away to show that she was done with the conversation. She knew her callousness had offended her mother, but for now, she couldn't worry about her mom's feelings. There was no way she was telling Alphonse, at least not anytime soon.

* * *

A young man with brown hair combed back was eating his pasta when one of his subordinates came in.

"Mr. President?" the man in the mask asked timidly.

"Hey 35! What can I do for you?" he asked cheerfully. 35 took something out of his pocket and gave it to his president.

"Hey!" 35 flinched, and relaxed when the President grinned, "These are cute kids. But I must ask, who are they?"

"We're not entirely sure. 56 and 32 haven't come back yet. #2 sent them out to investigate." The president nodded in understanding. Before he could reply, another subordinate came running towards them.

"President!" the woman in the mask shouted breathlessly.

"Yes, what is it, 63? He asked, frowning.

"32." She panted.

"What about him?" he asked patiently, waiting for her to catch her breath.

"He's been killed, sir!" she yelled. His playful green eyes darkened.

"By whom?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"The black haired girl that he was investigating." She said angrily, "She killed him."

"Well, that's not good."

"Would you like me to send out some assassins?" President turned around to meet the new voice behind him. A petite young woman with curly brown hair and steely green eyes was leaning against the door.

"That won't be necessary, #2." He declined. She frowned.

"But, President! She killed 32!" 63 protested.

"Then he should've been more careful. It's his own fault," he said bluntly.

"Damn. And I thought_ I_ was cold," #2 mocked. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, why should I sacrifice more of my men over someone who was dumb enough to let himself get caught?" he huffed. She shrugged.

"I'm not saying you should," She stated, walking over to take some pasta. "I'm just saying that this girl might end up being a threat, and we should be wary of her." she flitted her sharp eyes back in his direction, and smirked. "Don't you agree, _President?_" she said menacingly.

"Yes #2 I do agree, but you know my policy. I don't fight minors," he said, glaring at her. "I have two kids, so my paternal instincts prevent me from killing children."

"Paternal instincts." She scoffed. "Don't tell me you consider those two stray rats you brought into your house your children." She scorned. "You're much too soft." He bit his tongue and started eating again. He didn't want to start a brawl with her tonight. He had to be the mature one, the strong one.

"You know what, #2? You do whatever you want. Go crazy." He said cynically. Her eyes lit up.

"You mean it?" she asked gleefully.

"Yeah." He said begrudgingly, "But I'm not taking responsibility for anything that happens."

"I wouldn't expect you to," she said with mock sweetness, then her eyes hardened. "35!" The young man saluted in fear. "Go fetch 47 and 29." She ordered.

"You're not going to kill her, ma'am?" he questioned.

"Not yet." She smiled. "We need to gather some information first."

* * *

El was sitting up on her windowsill staring at the moon. Maes and Alphonse had both already gone to bed hours ago. Maes was more of a morning person so he generally went to bed much earlier than she did. To her surprise, Alphonse had also gone to bed early. He's stayed up pretty late all week. But then again, they'd had an exhausting day what with almost being killed by a psychopath and all.

"_JUST STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"_

She sighed softly. She needed some fresh air. She slipped on a pair of boots and some pants. She quietly slipped out of her bedroom and down the hall. When she passed by Alphonse's bedroom, she could've sworn she heard a whimper from behind the closed door. She shrugged it off. Probably having a nightmare or something.

She tiptoed down the stairs and headed towards the front door. She turned the handle when a voice made her jump.

"Going somewhere?" Riza asked drily, staring at her coolly. She had been sitting on the couch and El hadn't noticed. "You do know what time it is, right El?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, I know it's late." She bowed her head down respectfully, "But I couldn't sleep and wanted to get some fresh air." Riza got up and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Elizabeth." She stared at her intensely. El met her eyes. Her mom only used her full name if it was serious. "Have you been having nightmares about that man again?" she whispered. El shook her head solemnly.

"No." She'd had a few random nightmares here and there. She'd just had one the other night after Alphonse went crazy, but they weren't consistent, and they rarely happened. She hadn't had one tonight though, so she technically wasn't lying. Her mother narrowed her eyes disbelievingly, but then relaxed and let her go.

"You're sure?" Riza asked uneasily.

"Yes." She nodded.

"All right." Riza affirmed. "But don't stay out long and bring this with you." She gave El a loaded pistol. El stuck the pistol in her pocket and closed the door softly behind her.

The minute she stepped out the door, her thoughts became less foggy. She could think clear thoughts about the man she had killed earlier. He wasn't human, she knew that for sure. But, maybe she had been too hasty when she shot him. After all, he could've been an innocent chimera, but if that was the case, then why did she feel something sinister from him? She had only looked in his eyes for a split second before shooting, and it had given her the creeps. She had seen her and Alphonse's death in those eyes. It was like he considered her and Alphonse mere toys to play with. Her thoughts got interrupted when she heard a twig snap behind her. Someone was following her. She got her pistol and pointed it in the direction the sound had come from.

"Who's there?" she demanded, trying not to let her voice tremble. Whoever they were, she couldn't let them see that she was scared. She squinted at the darkness in front of her but she couldn't make out any human silhouettes. Her eyes flitted sharply to the corners to make sure they hadn't snuck behind her. Her pistol flew to the roof when she spotted a shadow, but by the time she aimed her gun, it was gone. She continued on her walk but kept her pistol out this time. She was almost positive that someone was watching her.

As she started to head home, she suddenly felt a heavy weight land on her back and knock her down. She pointed the gun at the attacker but they swatted it out of her hand. She tried to throw them off but they had her pinned. She did the only thing she could think of. She started to scream.

"AHHHHHH!" she screamed as loud as she could, hoping somebody would hear. Then she heard her attacker say something.

"Dammit! Shut her up before she wakes up all of Central!" they said desperately. Then another voice spoke, this one male. There were two of them?

""What do you want me to do? Slit her throat?" they retorted. El gulped. Were they going to kill her?

"No, you dumbass!" the first voice snapped."We need her alive. Gag her or something." Then she saw one of her perpetrators hover over her and bring a rag soaked in something, (probably ammonia) and put it over her mouth. Her struggles became feebler with each second as the little sight she had became fuzzy. She felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and the only thing she saw was a masked person standing over her before her head hit the ground and she blacked out.

* * *

_All right..gotta love plot twists. :P Thoughts?_


	5. Chapter 5: The Chase

** The Chase**

* * *

_Author's Note~ Okay so I'm actually pretty satisfied with this chapter. I went back and read some of the previous chapters and now I'm really glad that I took the 2 month hiatus. My writing has improved. :P _

_Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't belong to me._

* * *

"Hey, Theo! C'mere, I wanna show you something really cool!" A young blond boy with blue eyes took his eyes off his book.

"What is it, Brother?" he asked the golden-haired boy.

"Just c'mon! I'll show you!" Alphonse said excitedly.

"I would, Brother, but I can't," Theo said regretfully.

"Why not?" he asked, cocking his head curiously. Theo smirked maliciously.

"Don't you remember what happened what last time you showed me something cool?" He said, blood pooling around his mangled body. Alphonse widened his eyes in horror and backed away.

"No," he whimpered, "I didn't mean to." He could feel himself drowning in the sea of blood.

"It's your fault, Brother!" Theo yelled, "I'll never forgive you!"

"Mr. Alphonse!" Alphonse snapped his eyes open and jumped up, panting heavily, his hair damp with sweat. He looked at his hands, willing them to stop shaking.

"Mr. Alphonse," the voice said more quietly this time, almost afraid. Alphonse slowly turned his head but all he saw was a flash of blond hair. He quickly jumped back against the wall, his eyes glazed.

"I didn't mean to," he whispered. The blond boy wrinkled his brow in concern and touched his shoulders, making him jump.

"Get back! It wasn't my fault!" he panicked, his voice laced with fear and guilt. The blond boy grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him.

"Mr. Alphonse, wake up! It's me, Maes!" he said forcefully. Alphonse's eyes cleared to see that the blond boy had black eyes instead of blue, reality slowly coming back to him. He gasped in relief and hugged his knees to his chest, ignoring the other presence for the time being. He was still in the Mustang house. It'd been a while since he'd had one of _those_ nightmares. Why did they start up again? And how does he manage to keep confusing Maes for his brother? They were nothing alike. Nothing!

"Mr. Alphonse?" Alphonse flitted his eyes to the voice. Maes seemed anxious about something, but at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. On the other hand, he didn't really want the boy to see how vulnerable he was, so he eventually responded.

"What, Maes?" he asked distantly. Maes gave a relieved look at his response, but then his eyes darkened. Well, considering his eyes were already practically black, was that really even possible?

"Elie's missing." Alphonse's eyes widened at the mention of her name. Yesterday's trauma ran through: a gun shot ringing in his ears, a lifeless body falling to the ground, the light fading from his eyes, the blood spilling out of his body, and the unfeeling brown eyes of the wielder as they fired the bullet. He shuddered, and his eyes went icy.

"Why should I care?" he said monotonously. Maes widened his eyes at his callousness, but then gave him a harsh glare.

"Because she's my sister," he hissed. He gave the younger boy a blank stare.

"And? What does that have to do with me?"

"How do you not care?" Maes asked, outraged. Alphonse shrugged,

"Why should I? It's not my problem," he said coldly.

"You're not even gonna try to help us look for her?" the blond boy shrieked. Alphonse gave Maes an icy glare.

"What do you expect me to do about it, Maes? She's a big girl, isn't she? If she's old enough to use a weapon, then she's old enough to fix her own damn problems," he said bitterly. He watched as Maes flinched and puckered out his lip.

"W-What?" He stuttered in disbelief, his eyes starting to water. "What are you talking about?"

"You heard me. Your sister is fucking crazy. As far as I'm concerned, she can rot in hell for all I care," he stated loathingly. Maes shivered, and Alphonse watched as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Normally, he would've felt guilty, but not today.

"Mr. Edward would've never let this happen," he yelled angrily, his eyes flashing with anger. Alphonse stared at him coolly.

"Yeah?" he asked sarcastically, "Well, I'll let you in on a secret, kid. I'm not my father, and I never will be!"

"I thought you were different. I thought you were a kind person," Maes cried.

"Yeah, well don't feel bad. You're not the first to be disappointed." He mocked. Maes gave him a look of pure disgust before stomping out of the room. Alphonse watched him go with a complete look of indifference. As soon as the blond boy was out of sight, his hardened façade crumbled. He clenched his fists in the sheets, trying not to lose it. He didn't start having nightmares again until he met Maes. For some reason, every time the boy was near him, the grotesque images and the memory of that night would pile up in his head. It was better for the younger Mustang to hate him…and to stay as far away from him as possible.

* * *

"Is she awake yet?"

"Nope, not yet. Oh wait, she's waking up."

El opened her eyes blearily, her head throbbing with pain. She looked around and found herself in a dimly lit house. Her body ached, and when she tried to stretch it, she found restraints on her wrists and legs.

"Huh? Wha-?" she asked dazed. Two figures, both with masks, stood over her.

"Relax, kid. We're not going to hurt you. As long as you cooperate, that is." A gruff man's voice said. She may have been slightly out of it, but there was no mistaking the threat in his voice. She narrowed her eyes.

"Who're you?" she slurred slightly, squinting at the masked man(?).

"It doesn't matter. We just have a few questions for you, Elizabeth Mustang," The other masked figure asked her. She assumed it was a woman from the sound of her voice.

"So you know who I am and you still kidnap me? That's pretty bold of you," she said bitingly. "And stupid," she added under breath.

"You're the one tied up, your life in our hands, and yet you're running your mouth shamelessly? I'd say you're the bold one," The woman retorted coolly. "Especially considering how easily I could kill you." She said sinisterly, pulling out a knife and pointing it threateningly at El. El widened her eyes and shivered slightly. The woman smirked when she saw the fear in her eyes, but El put her mask of indifference back on and gave the woman a cold stare.

"You're right. You could kill me very easily," El said smartly, "but you haven't yet which means you obviously want something from me. Not to mention, even if you did kill me, it would be the last thing you ever did."

"Well, aren't you big and proud? Using your father as a threat," the woman mocked. El glared at her. Her tone became serious again, "Now tell us everything you know about the Fuhrer's plans, you little brat." El smirked.

"What makes you think I know anything?" Her smugness was quickly ended when the woman reached over and slapped her across the face. Her cheek literally burned from the contact. She would probably get a bruise later. She glared defiantly at her attacker, although she bit her lip in pain, taking away the effect.

"Don't play dumb with me, you little bitch. Tell us what we want to know," the woman said coldly.

"Go fuck yourself," El croaked. The woman reached over again and punched her in the head, causing El to bite her tongue painfully.

"Easy, 47. She's just a kid," The man tried to calm her attacker down.

"So what? She has a rather foul mouth for someone of her age. Someone should put her in her place," she said nonchalantly.

El tasted the sharp, metallic taste of her blood in her mouth, and she used whatever strength she still had to hold back a whimper. She couldn't let them get the satisfaction of knowing she was in pain.

* * *

Mustang anxiously awaited for Havoc's group to return. He had been out here for hours, along with Riza, and it showed. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was unshaven, and his temper flared uncontrollably. Riza looked more or less the same, although she kept a better control over her emotions. He squinted his eyes when he made out Havoc's group headed towards them.

"Havoc, did your group find anything?"

"No, Boss. No one has, and we've been searching for hours."

"Dammit," Roy muttered. "Well, keep looking. No one gets a break 'til we find her! Is that understood?" He said harshly.

"Yes, sir!" They all saluted.

"Sir! Fuhrer Mustang!" Breda called.

"This had better be important, Major," he said darkly, flitting his sharp eyes over to his subordinate.

"It is, sir. It appears there is a vacant house on 3rd that none of the soldiers have checked. There is a good chance that Miss Elizabeth might be there," Breda said wisely.

"This is the most helpful thing we've found all day!" Mustang snapped his fingers up in the air, letting out a small flame to catch his subordinates' attention.

"Listen up, men! We have a new location to inspect!"

* * *

Alphonse lie on the bed, his hands behind his neck. He had given up on sleeping a long time ago. Ever since the fight between him and Maes, the house had been eerily quiet. If he knew anything at all, the Fuhrer probably forbid Maes from helping with the search due to the danger level. As far as Alphonse knew, Maes was nothing like his sister and he would never disobey an order from his father. The kid was probably sulking in his room somewhere. Alphonse felt kinda guilty for making him cry. He was a pretty nice kid, after all. To be honest, even he didn't know why he acted like such a jackass earlier.

He swung his legs out of the bed, the chill of the air meeting his bare skin. He slipped on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, not really giving a damn if they were dirty or clean, and quietly slipped out of his room. When he quietly got to the younger boy's bedroom, he quietly rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Hey, Maes?" he said huskily. He didn't hear a response, but he figured the kid was just being spiteful.

"Hey look, Maes. I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Can you come out now?" he tried to keep the slight annoyance out of his voice. When he still didn't hear a response, he groaned. This kid wasn't _that _mad at him, was he?

"Maes, if you don't answer, I'll break in," He threatened. When he still got no response, he brought his hand down to the handle and turned it gently. He started to shake the handle when it didn't turn. The little shit locked it!

"Dammit, Maes! Unlock the door!" he yelled. When he still got no response, he stomped his foot childishly.

"Stubborn little brat," he muttered to himself. He brought his foot up and swung it towards the frame. When his heel collided with the door, he felt a painful jolt run up his leg from the sole to the thigh. He gripped his leg painfully. He must've hit a nerve. After a few seconds of coddling his now sore leg, he gingerly tried to put weight on it. He threw a dark glare at the mahogany door that had caused him pain.

"Stupid fucking door!" he screamed, kicking it again. He felt the pain go up his leg again, and started hopping on one leg towards the staircase.

"Times like this make me wish I'd learned how to fight," he muttered dryly. He limped downstairs to the kitchen and rooted through the drawers. He may not know how to kick down a door like his dad, but he picked up a few skills from his other parent. He smirked when he found a thin wire paperclip. He ran back upstairs, conscious of his injured leg. He stretched out the paperclip into a thin line and shoved it in the lock. He spun the wire a few times for a couple seconds, jiggled the handle, and grinned at his success when the door opened.

When he opened the door, he was getting ready to chastise the younger boy for ignoring him, but found that would be impossible. Maes wasn't in there. Where the hell did he go? The answer came to him when he noticed the window was wide open. He hobbled over to the window and looked down. Just as he thought: there was a rope running down all the way to the ground.

"Dammit," he cursed.

* * *

Maes was almost tempted to give up. He had been running all over Central for hours and had found nothing. He spotted a few military men and hid in an alley. If anyone found him out here, his dad would kill him. He stood, pressed up against the wall, panting heavily, and watched the military pass right by him. He was pretty sure if he was found, he'd be punished and accused of disobeying a direct order.

"_What do you mean she never came back? What time did she leave?" Maes heard his father yell in the kitchen. _

"_Quiet, Roy. You'll wake everybody up!" Riza chastised. "She left about three hours ago. I told her not to take long, and even gave her a pistol," she reported. _

"_But a gun is almost completely useless in close-range combat," Roy muttered. _

"_Would you like me to call someone?" she asked. _

"_Yes. Call about twenty competent soldiers and tell them to meet here immediately."_

"_Got it." Maes couldn't listen to anymore. He jumped in the kitchen. _

"_Elie's missing?" he asked in horror. His father scowled. _

"_Maes, why were you eavesdropping?" he asked annoyed. _

"_I-I didn't mean to. I heard it as I was coming downstairs," he mumbled guiltily. Roy gave him a sympathetic glance. _

"_We'll find her. In the meantime, you need to stay here," he assured. _

"_But I want to help!" Maes protested._

"_No," Roy said curtly, "It's too dangerous. Stay here."_

Okay, so he definitely disobeyed his father's direct orders which wasn't a smart thing to do, but his sister needed him. He felt the transmutation circle in his pocket, and narrowed his eyes as the military went inside a rundown house not even a block away from where he is. He bet that the house was vacant, and that it probably had a few clues to his sister's whereabouts. He also could bet that his father had figured that out not too long ago which meant there would be a lot more soldiers running around soon. He couldn't risk coming out of the dark alley just yet, so he sat down quietly and waited patiently for the soldiers to finish their investigation.

* * *

Elysia had ended up spending the night at her mother's apartment. John was probably worried about her but she wasn't allowed to leave the building. She called her husband from her mother's phone to let him know she was okay. He was just as freaked out by the whole situation as the rest of them. A few soldiers, including the Fuhrer himself, came to the apartment very early in the morning.

_Elysia had crashed on the couch at her mother's apartment. _

_Knock, knock. She stirred slightly, thinking it to be a dream. _

_Knock, knock. She opened her eyes and raised her head up drowsily. Was someone at the door? Her answer came when the pounding on the door got louder. She yawned, and answered the door. She raised her eyebrows. _

"_Uncle Roy," she croaked. The usually well-kept Fuhrer looked terrible…like he hadn't gotten any sleep that night, which judging by the circumstances, he probably hadn't. _

"_Elysia," he said monotonously, "We have a few questions for you. Can we come in?" She stepped aside and let the soldiers in the small apartment. She widened her eyes at how many there were. There were at least five. Something serious must've happened. _

"_Would you like something to drink?" she asked courteously. He held up his hand._

"_No, thank you," he replied curtly. He patted the seat on the other side of him. "Sit down, Elysia," he said almost forcefully. She pursed her lips in a puzzled look before hesitantly sitting down next to the Fuhrer. _

"_D-Did something happen?" she asked, fear in her voice. He nodded, a glazed, lost look in his eyes. _

"_Have you seen El at all in the past three hours?" he asked harshly. She cocked her head in confusion. _

"_No…I haven't," she said softly, "I haven't seen her since around two days ago."_

"_Can you please go wake up Gracia?" he asked. _

"_Uncle Roy, what is going on?" she asked suspiciously. He gave her a hard look and she flinched. _

"_Just go get Gracia," he said coldly. _

She had done as he asked, and gone to get her mother. The look in her uncle's eyes had scared her. She had never seen him look so…lost.

"_Gracia…Elysia," Roy said a little more gently. They both held their breaths for what their family friend was going to say. With the way he was acting, it couldn't be good. _

"_El is missing," Elysia watched as her mother gasped. She looked down at the floor, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone in the room. She was afraid if she did, all her fears would be evident. The fear that the girl she used to baby-sit was hurt, or worse…killed. She knew she shouldn't be so pessimistic about it, but she couldn't help it. She had already lost her father when she was a little girl, and she'd be damned if she would lose her surrogate sister too. _

"Elysia," Gracia's kind voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, mother?" she asked distantly.

"Did you call John and let him know you were okay?"

"Yes."

"Have you heard any news about the search?"

"They haven't turned up with anything yet," she said defeated. Her mother put her arm around her shoulders in comfort. Elysia closed her eyes and prayed. She whispered to herself,

"Please, God. If you're there, please let my little sister be okay."

* * *

Roy was getting more irritable by the second as the afternoon started to pass him by. Five groups of soldiers had searched the vacant house and had all turned up empty-handed. Why was everyone so fucking useless? As he made his way over to 3rd street, at least ten soldiers and Riza behind him, he heard someone calling him.

"Fuhrer Mustang, sir! We have an emergency!" Mustang gritted his teeth at the word 'emergency'. One of the men who guarded his house on a daily basis came panting up to him. What could it possibly be now?

"Why the hell have you left your post?" he snapped. The man bowed his head respectfully.

"My apologies, sir! But something terrible has occurred," he said regretfully.

"Well, you might as well tell me. It's not like my day hasn't been shitty enough already," he said bitterly. The man cleared his throat.

"We cannot find Master Maes. It seems he has run away," he said. Mustang grabbed the man's shirt.

"You mean to tell me that you lost my son? When I specifically ordered you to watch him carefully while I searched for my daughter?" he said outraged.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" he said frantically. Mustang raised his free hand in a snapping position.

"I highly suggest that unless you want to turn to ash, you find him," he growled darkly, his eyes slits. The man gulped. "Or I could just bring you to Riza and let her deal with you. She probably won't be as merciful as me." The man's face paled, sweat running down his face. Roy threw him roughly to the ground.

"Get out of my sight," he said disgustedly.

"Y-yes sir!" he stuttered, quickly running away. Mustang watched him slink away guiltily with his icy black gaze. Suddenly, he was in the mood for barbecue. _Great, _he cursed to himself, _just fucking great._

* * *

"Huh. With how spiteful she was earlier, she sure is quiet," 29 said, almost surprised.

"Don't fall for it. She's probably just planning something," 47 said distrustfully.

"Hey, kid! Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" 29 asked. He figured that if maybe they were a little friendlier towards her, she might be more obliged to answer. The stubborn girl just gave him a dull look and didn't say anything. He furrowed his brow. She looked so…defeated. But, he had to admit that she had guts. Most kids that age would be screaming and crying for help or making futile efforts to escape. But, which was worse? Fighting futilely and risk getting killed faster, or just giving up and accepting whatever comes to them?

"Hey, 47. I think you might've been a little hard on her. She's just a kid, after all," he said, slightly concerned.

"Shut up!" she snapped, "I only hit her a few times! Since when did you get so soft?" He was about to retort, when he heard a thump from the ceiling.

"Oh shit! Someone's here!" 47 swore.

"How the hell did they find us?" he asked. He watched as 47 gave a scary look to the black-haired kid.

"I think I know," she hissed, stomping over to where the teen was and grabbing her neck, lifting her above the ground. He could hear the girl grunting in pain.

"You contacted someone," 47 spit to the girl. She didn't reply. 47 started squeezing her neck harder.

"Who the hell did you contact?" she yelled. The girl gasped for breath,

"How…could I…have? I've…been here…the whole…time," she wheezed.

"Don't lie to me!" she threw the girl against the ground. 29 heard a bone crunch and the girl groaning in pain. He flinched when 47 turned to him.

"Go find out who's up there and dispose of them," she ordered.

"Roger," he mock saluted.

* * *

Maes quietly explored the house, cautiously and carefully. If there was anyone here, he certainly didn't want to alert them. He got the folded up piece of paper out of his pocket for reassurance. If anyone was here and they ended up being dangerous, he wanted to be prepared. He stiffened when he heard a creak on the floorboards. It had come from the next room. He heard something slam, almost like a door. He pressed himself up against the wall and hoped that no one saw him. He heard the quiet shuffling of footsteps heading in his direction.

When he saw the figure come in front of him, he quickly pressed his palms to the circle and hoped that he didn't just make a huge mistake.

* * *

"Sir, when would you like us to raid the place?" Riza asked.

"Very soon. First, we need to-," she glanced at him curiously as he cut off. He strained his ears.

"Sir-," she started. He quickly cut her off and shushed her.

"Riza," he whispered.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what, sir?" she asked quizzically.

"It sounds like…a fight," he stated. Just then, Riza jumped slightly when she heard a large boom come from the house. Roy widened his eyes in horror.

"Everyone, get back!" he yelled hoarsely. "The place is gonna collapse!" Riza backed up slowly, listening to everyone's gasps of horror and fear.

As she backed up at least ten feet, the house started to crumble. She felt Roy's arms go around her shoulders in protection, and she buried her head in his chest to shield her eyes from the flying debris.

As she felt Roy loosen around her, she gave a quick glance at the fallen house. She saw Roy walk up to a piece of wood, a grim look on his face. He picked it up and tossed it around in his hands, examining it skeptically.

"Alchemy," he muttered.

"I beg your pardon, sir?" she quickly appeared by his side again, her firearm loaded just in case.

"It was destroyed by alchemy," he said quietly. He turned his head to meet her eyes. "Riza, take a few soldiers and search for any bodies," he ordered. She saluted him respectfully. She walked off and gathered a few soldiers, one of them she knew as 2nd Lieutenant James Wilke.

"Lieutenant Wilke, have you found anything?" she asked. He saluted to her and shook his head.

"No, sir. All we've found is dust and rubble," he said reluctantly. She nodded curtly and returned to Roy to report.

"We have found no evidence that there were people here," she reported. He cupped his chin in his hand, an unreadable expression on his face. She cocked an eyebrow when he smirked.

"Something funny, sir?" she asked.

"Oh, something's funny, all right," he chuckled darkly, "You said there were no bodies?" he questioned her.

"That is correct, sir," she confirmed.

"That's interesting," he said smugly, "The house was destroyed from the inside with alchemy which means obviously someone was inside." Riza stared at him intently as he continued, "But there are no bodies so that means the person who was inside had to have escaped somehow." She narrowed her eyes.

"Sir, are you suggesting what I think you are?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yep. Whoever was in that house escaped underground," he said proudly, looking at the ground.

"How would they have gotten underground that quickly?" she asked in disbelief.

"Simple. There's obviously a trap door somewhere in that rubble," he shrugged.

"What if they used alchemy?" she tried to reason.

"All the more reason to investigate."

* * *

El flinched when she heard the crash up above. What the hell was happening up there? She heard the trap door open and a male voice call out to his comrade.

"Hey 47!" she turned to meet his face, "I found us a rat," he said mockingly. El curiously wondered what he could've meant by that. Was it some innocent civilian? Too bad her neck was sore from when that woman had grabbed her earlier. Otherwise, she would've turned her head to see what was going on. She saw the woman, or the bitch as El called her secretly, walk past her to her ally.

"Oh, well would you look at that!" she exclaimed giddily, "Two birds with one stone! President will be proud of us." El perked her ears up slightly, her curiosity starting to get the better of her.

"Hey, girl. Does this face look familiar to you?" The woman taunted. El lifted her head up and her eyes widened in horror when the woman came in front of her, her hands on the neck of a blond boy with horrified black eyes.

"Maes?" she whispered.

"Elie" his voice cracked. El was sure that the bitch gripping her brother was probably enjoying this. Fucking sadist.

"What the hell are you doing here?" her voice wavered with fear.

"Apparently, he wanted to find his big sissy," the woman sneered.

"What are you going to do with him, 47?" the man asked in a bored tone.

"Well, we don't really need both of them. Do what you want," she said casually, shoving the boy in the man's direction. The man got out a knife and strode over to the terrified boy.

"Sorry, kid. Can't have you spilling about us," he said, almost guiltily. He started to bring the knife to his throat when El, who'd been stunned by the whole situation, broke out of her trance.

"NO!" she managed to scream, "YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!"

"Why should we? He's of no use to us," the woman said coldly. She could feel the tears that she'd been holding back this whole time, finally start to slide down her bruised face.

"Please!" she cried, "I'll do anything you want, but leave him out of it!" Before the woman could respond, loud voices from up above distracted her.

"Hey, I found a door!" she heard someone call distantly from through the roof. She strained her ears. Was that Major Breda? She noticed the woman give a quick nod to her comrade and he nodded affirmatively. Before she could say anything, the woman was mere inches from her, bringing a cloth to her face. She let a few more tears slide down in relief when the man didn't bring the knife to her brother's throat, and instead knocked him out with the other end of it. She could feel her body being lifted off the ground, and she was thrown over the woman's shoulder like a sack of flour. As they descended into the darkness of the tunnels, she saw light come from the trap door and felt a bit of sunshine pass its way to her heart.

They were coming for her.

* * *

As he ran through town muttering to himself about stupid little boys, and obnoxious teenage girls, he paused. What the hell? He heard a crash from down the street. He normally would've headed in that direction, but he figured the military was already down there. He didn't want to face the flame alchemist's wrath, especially not now. He'd leave it to them. He heard voices heading in his direction and he ran into the nearest alley. When the civilians ran past him, he was about to leave, when he noticed something. He couldn't risk getting caught out here. He removed the metal lid and jumped down into the hole. At least he would be safe down here…for now.

He hastily ran ahead, not really having a clue where he was. Damn, it was dark. How the hell did he expect to see? As his eyes were trying to adjust to the utter blackness, he heard loud, frantic footsteps. What? Who was down here? He pressed himself to the wall as he saw a lantern light get closer and closer. His eyes flitted to the two dark figures running past him, carrying people over their shoulders. His eyes widened in surprise and recognition and then he smirked.

"Hmph," he grunted satisfactorily, "Target found. And looks like I get two birds with one stone." As they ran on ahead of him, he waited a few minutes before deciding to tail them. If this was going to work, he couldn't let them see him.

* * *

When Roy had opened the trap door, he readied his fingers in case of a confrontation. But he nearly screamed out in frustration when he saw nothing below. Not even a hint that there was ever civilization.

"Damn!" he said angrily. "They got away again!" His hands shook with the temptation to burn whatever bastard was making him go on this wild goose hunt.

"Maybe not, sir," Riza assured. He turned his murderous glare to her, and immediately softened.

"What are you talking about?" he said.

"Light a small flame, sir," she ordered. He gazed at her like she was crazy, but did as she asked. He snapped his fingers and tiny fire appeared on the tips of his fingers lighting up the dank place.

"Like I thought. It's the tunnels that Father used 20 years ago," she mumbled to herself. He gazed around him in shock. _Huh. Brings back memories_, he thought bitterly.

"Which way do you think they went?" Havoc asked.

"Only one way to find out," Roy growled. He turned his sharp eyes to his subordinates. He spotted a broken lantern on the ground. He grabbed the handle and picked it up off the ground carefully. It was still hot. Someone had definitely been here. He clapped his hands and watched as the broken glass repaired itself. He snapped his fingers and the lantern lit up with light. He smirked in satisfaction.

"Havoc, take this lantern and half the soldiers and go that direction," he said pointing behind him.

"Yes, sir," Havoc saluted. "C'mon men," he ordered and Roy watched as they ran in the direction he had specified, the lantern light fading in the distance. He raised his voice to address the remaining soldiers.

"The rest of you will remain with me and we will go this way," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" they all said in unison.

"Then let's move!"

* * *

El looked at the ground below her, ignoring the discomfort of her ribs being jammed into the woman's bony shoulder. Neither of her kidnappers had said a word and had just been running nonstop for the past fifteen minutes. Were these people like superhuman or something? How the hell were they not panting in exhaustion? How long would it be before the military caught up to them? Hopefully, not much longer. Even if they let her run for herself, she wasn't sure if she could. She had heard a bone crack when that woman threw her against the wall earlier, and her ankle had gone numb. Not to mention, her shoulder was dislocated. Overall, she was pretty much helpless.

She glanced at her brother, who hung limply from the man's arms, still more than relieved that he was still breathing. Other than a few bruises on his face, he seemed mostly unharmed. She was actually glad that he was in the hands of the man instead of the woman, as he seemed to be more merciful. Her brother was strong, there was no denying that, but she didn't think he would've had what it took to stand up to the cruelness of the bitch. She had barely managed to do it. She jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a crash further down the tunnel and the woman came to an abrupt stop.

"What the hell was that?" El heard her ask nervously.

"I don't know. But I think that between the both of us, since I'm the better fighter, I should go check it out," the man stated. She heard the woman grunt in response. She vaguely heard the footsteps of the man as he ran ahead of them to find the source of the explosion. The woman sighed and set her down next to the wall. She looked around her and squinted ahead of her. Even with the lantern light, she couldn't make out anything. It was all hazy, almost like smoke. Wait, hold on. Smoke? Could it be?

When the smoke cleared, there was a figure lying down on the ground. Her eyes widened when she noticed it was the man, but he wasn't burned. He was just unconsciousness, and tied up. She began to hyperventilate. Who the hell was out there? And how had they taken down that man so soundlessly?

The woman gasped, and ran towards her partner. With the smoke wearing off, El made out a dark figure sneaking up behind her. He was holding something heavy and metal in his hands and he swung it towards the lady's head. She fell down with a dull thud right on top of her restrained partner. The stranger knelt down and tied her up to her partner. He got up slowly and stretched slightly. He turned his head in her direction, and started walking towards her.

She widened her eyes and struggled for the last time to escape from her restraints. If this guy was another enemy, she was doomed. She struggled until he walked right past her and knelt down next to her brother. As she stared at the back of his head, she recognized the golden hair and immediately relaxed but couldn't help feeling shocked nonetheless. She never thought he, of all people, would come save her. He shook her brother back into consciousness, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders, helping him stand.

He turned around and frowned at her slightly, her brother just giving her a blank look. He wasn't all there. He raised his eyebrows.

"Wow, I think this is the quietest you've ever been. The gag and restraints are a nice look for you," he said sarcastically. She glared at him icily. He wrinkled his forehead, and sighed,

"Well, they might've disfigured your face, but it looks like they weren't able to break your attitude." He set Maes down gently and stalked over to her. He knelt down in front of her, meeting her eyes. Her mind suddenly went back to about 7 years ago when a different golden-eyed man had done the exact same thing. He raised his eyebrows at her dazed expression, reached behind her, and removed the gag.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her brother's arms again and started walking on ahead.

"Oy," she finally croaked out. He turned around and glanced at her again. "Why did you save me?" She asked quietly. He gave her a hard glare, making her flinch.

"I didn't save _you._ I saved _this_ idiot!" he snapped, gesturing to her brother. "Geez, this is such a pain in the ass," he complained. She twitched.

"If it's that much of a pain in the ass, why did you even bother getting involved?" she asked hotly.

"Who knows? Maybe I just felt like playing the hero," he retorted cheekily. El bit her tongue. She really wasn't in the mood to get an argument with the smart-ass blond.

"Okay, 'hero'. Do you think you could untie me before you ditch me?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Why would I do that?" he asked her monotonously.

"Gee, I don't know. Why _wouldn't_ you?" she tried very hard to control her renewed temper.

"Because I have no obligation to," he said slowly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

"Just deal with it," he dismissed, "The military's almost here anyway."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she raised her voice.

"Nope," he said bluntly, "Bye." As he started to leave again, a very loud, commanding voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Not so fast, Alphonse Elric." She immediately recognized that voice as her father's. They had finally come. But as she saw the raven-haired man holding his gloved hand in the snapping position, his eyes dark with anger, rather than feeling relief, all she felt was pure dread…and fear.

* * *

_Author's Note~ I promise to get my next chapter uploaded faster. :P So, if you have any questions, feel free to PM or ask in a review. _

_Review, please! :D_


	6. Chapter 6: Transfer

** Transfer**

* * *

_Author's Note~ This is kind of a transitional chapter. There is a plot I promise. It'll take off again next chapter or so. This thing ended up being pretty long. I have no idea how that happened. :P_

_Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own my OC's._

* * *

Winry had been watching her husband pace around the floor nonstop for the past few hours. She bit her lip slightly in worry. Al was supposed to take the train first thing in the morning. It was almost seven in the evening and he wasn't here yet. She heard a phone ring from the next room. She quietly walked into the kitchen and put the receiver on her cheek.

"Hello? Elric residence," she said automatically. She widened her eyes in slight surprise at the familiar voice. She set the phone down and strolled to the next room. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Ed, it's for you," she mumbled.

"What is?" he asked distantly. She rolled her eyes and huffed,

"The phone." She lowered her voice, "It's Mustang." He quickly bolted into the kitchen and grabbed the receiver.

"Mustang, you bastard! You told me he was taking the first train this morning!" she heard him yell in annoyance. She got distracted when Trisha gently tugged her sleeve, green eyes questioning.

"Mom, when's Big Brother coming home?" she asked curiously, "I miss him." Winry's eyes softened at the nine year old. She forced a smile.

"We're about to find out, sweetie. I'm sure he'll be home soon though," she said reassuringly. Trisha smiled brightly.

"Okay!" she chirped. Winry sighed in relief and watched the girl trying, to no avail, to convince Rina to let her play with her hair. She turned her attention back to her husband's phone conversation in the next room, which apparently was still going.

"I see," she heard him mutter. "Are they okay?…Yeah…Alright…I guess I can make room…Yeah…Bye." He hung up the receiver and gave an exasperated groan, his head falling down in his palms. She lightly massaged his tensed shoulders with her thumbs.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

"It is now. Apparently, they had some problems with a terrorist group in Central, so Al won't get here until late tonight."

"Is that all?"

"Unfortunately, no," he grumbled, "We're gonna have some guests. And they'll probably be here for a while."

* * *

"Okay, Miss Mustang. Are you ready?" The doctor asked, holding her left shoulder preparing to reconnect it. Her right hand was interlaced with her mother's to brace for the pain.

"Not really," she said through gritted teeth. The doctor smiled at her sympathetically.

"We'll get through it nice and quick. It'll only hurt for a second," he reassured.

"Fine. Let's just get it over with," she sighed. The doctor grabbed her shoulder and shoved it back in the socket, causing her to clench her jaw and squeeze the life out of Riza's hand.

"Ow! Dammit, that hurt!" she complained.

"Watch your mouth, Elizabeth," her mother scolded coolly.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"All right," the doctor began, "Now, unfortunately, the ankle won't be as easy of a fix. I'll put a cast on it, but you'll have to stay off of it for a few weeks to let the bone heal. It will be a bit painful setting the bone though."

"Great," El said sardonically. "Can't wait."

"Would you like me to sedate the leg so you can't feel it?" the doctor asked. Before El could make a biting retort, Riza butted in.

"That would be fine," she said, giving El a warning stare. The doctor nodded and exited the room. When he came back, El widened her large brown eyes at what he was holding in his hand. That was a big fucking needle. She wasn't afraid of needles, really, she was used to them, but that one was really big. Before the doctor could jab the needle into her skin, she intervened, moving away from him quickly.

"Do you think you could get a smaller needle?" she asked nervously. The doctor gave her a questioning glance.

"What for?"

"Um, do you see the size of that thing?" her voice went up an octave, "It's fucking huge!"

"Language!" Riza barked.

"You'd swear too if you were about to be stabbed by a needle that's longer than your fucking arm!" El shrieked, clearly freaked out by the abnormally large needle. She glared at the doctor. "Get a smaller one, dammit!" she screamed, making him flinch.

"Y-yes, Miss Mustang," he stuttered. El relaxed, watching him leave. She heard her mother sigh.

"Did you have to scare him?" she asked.

"You saw the size of that thing," she said defiantly. "There was no way in hell I was letting him anywhere near me otherwise." Riza sighed in defeat.

"So," she began, her tone professional, "Would you mind telling me what exactly happened?"

"What's there to talk about?" El grumbled, "I was walking, they captured me, got a few injuries, the end."

"What exactly did they do to you? What did they want with you in the first place?" Riza pressed.

"They just hit me a few times," El groaned, "And I don't know what they wanted with me. They wouldn't tell me! I'm pretty sure they were just using me to get to Dad."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing. I didn't even know what they were talking about. I told them that, but they didn't believe me for some reason." She chuckled darkly, "As if you guys would actually tell me anything."

"And that is precisely why we don't. Because enemies would use you and Maes against us," Riza pointed.

"Even if I did know something, it would take a lot more than a few beatings to get me to spill anything," she said stubbornly.

"Well, hopefully, we won't have to worry about that anymore. If luck's on our side, they won't be able to find either of you."

"Huh? What do you mean?" she looked at her mother with genuine curiosity.

"You'll find out soon enough," Riza said briskly, "Once your ankle's all fixed up, we'll go meet up with the boys."

"Yes, ma'am," El mock saluted. Riza gave her a dry smile.

"That's 'sir' to you, Sargeant," she joked in her best stern voice. .

"My bad, '_sir'_." It was nice to banter with her mom like this. They hadn't done it in a long time. She might as well enjoy while it lasts, because she knew that as soon as she met up with her father, playtime was over. She was actually afraid that he was gonna turn Alphonse to charcoal back there in that tunnel. Luckily, her mother was able to calm him down before that happened. She wasn't a huge fan of the boy herself. He was a smart-ass and looked too much like his father for her liking. But personal feelings aside, she _really_ didn't want to watch someone burn to death.

* * *

"Geez, Maes, what the hell? Did you hide in a rosebush or something?" Alphonse stressed over Maes' multiple face scratches.

"I…uhh…kind of got in a fight," Maes said sheepishly. Alphonse froze.

"A fight?" he asked, bothered.

"Yeah, but it was mostly with alchemy," he said. Maes noticed a flash of pain cross Alphonse's features. It quickly disintegrated.

"Well, you should be more careful next time," he snapped, "You could've gotten yourself killed."

"Sorry," he mumbled guiltily.

"Whatever. We're just lucky that your pyromaniac father didn't char my ass or else I'd kick _your _ass," he growled, glowering at the younger boy. Maes was about to retort but his train of thought was cut off when a wet washcloth was thrown in his face, blocking his vision.

"Clean your cuts before they get infected," Alphonse said brusquely.

"You couldn't have handed it to me nicely?" he sighed, slight irritation in his voice. Alphonse shrugged in response, his face void of emotion. For some reason, this response, or lack of, annoyed Maes to no end. Even his sister, haughty as she may be, will insult him or cuss him out 90% of the time. Atleast she was paying attention to him somehow. But to just blow someone off? It ticked him off.

He was normally a very patient person. He had to be, considering whom he lived with, but ignoring him…he didn't tolerate it. At all. There were a few times that Elie had ignored him, and he had given her the cold shoulder for a week straight. In his book, that was the worst insult; pretending as if he wasn't there, as if he was the dirt you would spit on.

"What's your problem?" Maes finally burst out.

"What?" Alphonse jolted, "What do you mean? I didn't say anything."

"Exactly! You didn't say anything! Why not?" he demanded. Alphonse scrunched his eyebrows.

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Anything!" Maes groaned, "Insult me, call me an idiot! Say _some_thing!"

"You want me to insult you?" he asked skeptically.

"It's better than nothing at all! But you…just sitting there, all silent…it freaks me out." He said, his face turning red from embarrassment. Alphonse chuckled,

"Wow, you're a pretty weird kid."

"Is that a problem?" he asked defensively.

"Not at all," he shrugged, "It sort of reminds me of my own family a bit."

"Your family's weird and crazy?" he asked curiously. He still vaguely remembered Mr. Edward, and he seemed relatively normal.

"I prefer the term quirky, but…in a way…yeah, they're pretty insane," he admitted.

"Mr. Edward seemed pretty normal the few times I met him when I was younger."

Alphonse snorted, "Don't be fooled. Trust me. He's far from normal. To tell you the truth, he's kind of obnoxious."

"Do you hate him?" Maes asked quietly.

"What?" He gave him a strange look. "No. He's just a nuisance."

"Elie hates him," he sighed.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed," Alphonse said dryly.

"I don't understand why, though. He was always nice to us. He treated us as if we were his own."

"Who the hell cares?" Alphonse deadpanned, earning himself a scowl from the younger boy. "It's none of our business. Far as I'm concerned, she's crazier than _you_ are."

"Master Maes," one of the guards interrupted, "Your father is waiting for you downstairs." Maes gulped nervously.

"You'll come to my funeral, right Mr. Alphonse?" he squeaked out.

"Depends," he shrugged.

"On what?"

"On whether I feel like it or not," he said breezily, earning himself a betrayed look from the younger boy.

"He also wishes to see you as well, Mr. Elric," the guard said. Maes saw Alphonse's face darken.

"Geez," Alphonse sighed, "What a damn pain."

* * *

Roy massaged his temples. Today had been stressful…and scary. He almost lost himself. Luckily, Riza had managed to stop before he turned the Elric boy to charcoal. He heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Sir," Breda popped his head in. "I brought those files you asked for." He carefully dropped a set of folders on Roy's desk. Roy picked up the first folder, opening it to find a picture of the girl they had captured earlier, her long wavy black hair in a messy ponytail, and her gray eyes sharp and accusing.

_Name: Theresa Faye Davies_

_Birthdate: January 19, 1906._ Hmm, she's young. Younger than Fullmetal, even.

Family: Mother, Eleanor Davies; Father, unknown; 5 younger sisters, names unknown.

_Occupation: Mixed martial artist. _Well, that's convenient.

"Is this all we have on the woman?" Mustang asked. Breda nodded curtly. "What about the man?"

"His file is in that pile, sir," Breda motioned to the mountain of papers. Mustang heard another knock on the door.

"Come in," Mustang said distractedly. One of the guards opened the door and cautiously poked his head in.

"Fuhrer Mustang sir," they began, "Master Maes and Mr. Elric are here like you requested."

"Of course. Now go check and see if Riza and El are home yet. If they are, send them up here as well," he dismissed, waving the man with a flick of his hand. The guard bowed respectfully and exited out, ushering the two boys in. Mustang glanced up from the paperwork to glance at the blonds as they sat on opposite ends of the couch.

The elder of the two was rather stiff, with his hands shoved in his pockets, and a deep scowl on his face. He was nervous, but he was hiding it well. Maes, on the hand, was very obvious. His eyes kept flickering over in Roy's direction, he was biting his lip guiltily, and he was practically bouncing in his chair with impatience. Before he could call his son out on his blatant edginess, the door opened. Roy was about to make a scalding remark about knocking first, but when he saw who it was, he relaxed.

* * *

Alphonse saw Maes visibly chill out when the blonde woman walked in. El, who looked more open and carefree than he'd ever seen her, followed close behind on crutches and sat down between him and Maes on the couch. She immediately tensed the moment she met her eyes with the Fuhrer's, a look of dread making it's way to her face. They waited for what seemed like forever for the dark-haired man to say something, the tension crackling like lightning. He didn't even know why he had to be here in the first place. This wasn't even his family.

"So," Mustang finally spoke, making him flinch slightly, "Do you three know why you're here?" he asked, his tone severe. Alphonse didn't know exactly. He had a pretty vague idea, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. Surprisingly, even the troublesome girl didn't say anything. She was normally a loud-mouth.

"Alphonse," Mustang got his attention, "Do you know why?" he asked menacingly.

"I have a pretty vague idea," he said steadily. Mustang raised his eyebrow

"Oh, really?" he feigned interest, his face expressionless, "Do tell."

"I assume it has something to do with the incident from this afternoon," he said monotonously.

"Well, then your assumption would be correct," he said, "Anything else you'd like to add?" his dark eyes glittered. Alphonse shook his head.

"Well, then. Why don't I just cut to the chase?" Mustang's tone was all business. "As Alphonse pointed out, this little meeting has to do with what happened today. But, it's not the incident itself that I want to discuss." Alphonse saw the older man flit his sharp eyes over to the younger boy, and felt a slight pang of pity.

"Maes," Mustang said. The blond twitched uncomfortably that the attention was now on him. He hesitantly met his father's eyes. Mustang continued, "You want to be a state alchemist when you're older, right?"

Maes gulped. "Y-yes, sir," he stuttered.

"Hmm, okay so here's a question for you. There's a dangerous enemy lurking about, and your squad is sent to investigate. Your superior officer orders you to stay behind at HQ, but you want to help the rest of your fellow men. What do you do?" Maes bit his lip, and Alphonse couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor kid. He was a nervous wreck.

"I would stay behind," Maes whispered.

"Why?" Mustang asked harshly.

"Because it was an order from my superior," Maes bravely looked in his father's eye. Alphonse felt a bit of admiration for the boy. He looked as if he was gonna piss his pants, but he still didn't back down from his father's cold onyx eyes.

"Good answer," Mustang finally said, standing up slowly, "But using that kind of logic," he paused. He slammed his palm down on the desk, and snapped his head up, eyes furious. "Why the hell didn't you stay here like I ordered you to?" he yelled. Maes recoiled and tried to defend himself, but Mustang wasn't done yet. "I specifically ordered you to not get involved because it was dangerous! Don't you think I had a reason for that? You're damn lucky you didn't get yourself killed! And what about Alphonse? He came after you! What if he had gotten killed? Did you expect me to call up his parents and go 'Oh, sorry, Edward and Winry. I accidentally cremated your son in my blind rage against the world'?"

Alphonse twitched at the 'only son' proclamation. Stupid bastard. Why not just tell the whole fucking world? He saw El out of the corner of his eye, her stoic expression giving nothing away. Why didn't she say something? It was her brother, for Truth's sake! Yeah, Mustang was right. What Maes did was extremely stupid, but for some reason, seeing the boy so close to the verge of tears really pissed him off. He gritted his teeth and grudgingly listened to the rest of Mustang's rant.

"Do you realize that if Riza hadn't made me hesitate, I would've burned him to death?" he said slightly calmer. Maes widened his eyes in horror, and Alphonse snapped to attention. He would've…he would've…burned him?

"B-burned?!" Maes stuttered in incredulity.

"Yeah," Mustang confirmed, a trace of guilt in his voice, "I didn't recognize him at first. All I saw was somebody carrying away your unconscious body and I nearly snapped my fingers." Alphonse saw both Maes and El pale, and he felt the color drain from his own face. If Mustang hadn't hesitated, he would be a pile of ashes in those tunnels.

Geez, that was scary as hell. There were plenty of things he wanted to do in his life like…well he had no idea…but he knew for damn sure that death by fire was not one of them. The fact that alchemy could determine whether he went back to Resembool alive or cremated…was horrifying. It was unnatural, inhumane. Someone shouldn't be able to seal a person's fate with a snap of the fingers.

"Alphonse," he came out of his trance when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were trembling. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to look in those steely ebony eyes. But, he found instead a pair of concerned chocolate brown orbs. Riza quickly squeezed his shoulder in comfort. He tried to smile and show his appreciation, but it came out looking more like a grimace.

"Alphonse," Mustang said grimly, "Can I ask you something?" Alphonse's throat felt as if there was a ball of cotton wedged in it, so he nodded in response.

"Why did you go after him?" He looked genuinely interested, his eyes transfixed on Alphonse's face.

"I didn't want him to get hurt," he managed to choke out.

"Why do you care if he gets hurt? He's not related to you, and you weren't particularly close. You barely know him," Mustang pointed. Alphonse managed to glower at the older man.

"He's human, isn't he?" he replied weakly.

"Yes, he is."

"Well, there's your answer. Can I go now?" he asked hostilely.

"Yes. In fact, you can go home." Alphonse gave him a questioning glance. Mustang smirked. "Your father wasn't too happy that you didn't take the first train back this morning. The next train to Resembool leaves at 2100* hours. I expect you to have all your stuff packed and to get on that train. No excuses. That's an order," he said abruptly. Alphonse just stared at him evenly.

"So basically what you're saying is I'm allowed to finally get out of this hellhole?" he asked smugly.

"You can interpret it however you want," Mustang said breezily.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure," he grunted. "I guess I'll see you later then." He threw a lazy wave.

"Alphonse," Mustang's voice stopped him in his tracks. He hesitantly turned around. Mustang nodded and said,

"Thank you." Alphonse arched an eyebrow. The Fuhrer…thanking him? For rescuing a stupid kid and getting his ass handed to him? What has this world come to? He nodded curtly and pushed his way out of the office.

* * *

El just watched in shock as the golden boy made his way out the door. Well, that was…weird, to say the least. She had been here to witness everything so far, but had yet to be addressed.

"So why am I here?" she blurted out.

"I'm glad you asked, Elizabeth," he said cheerily. She scowled at her full name. She swore that he did it on purpose just to bug her. Her father flitted his eyes back and forth between her and her brother.

"Pack your bags," he said bluntly, "Both of you."

"What?" she said blankly.

"Pack your bags," he repeated. He opened his pocket watch. "Your train leaves in an hour."

"Whoa, hold on. Slow down a sec," she said hastily, "Care to explain?" Mustang paused, regret flashing in his eyes.

"I'm sending you away to live with a close friend of mine," he said coolly.

"Don't we get a say in this?" she asked indignantly, "You can't just send us away without our consent!"

"Think of it as a transfer," he worded carefully, "As your superior officer, I've decided that I don't need you in Central, and therefore, I have the right to transfer you elsewhere. You have no say in the matter. As the subordinate, you just follow orders."

"So, you're basically ordering us to leave?" El asked bitterly.

"Yes. Central's not safe for either of you right now."

"Can you atleast tell us where we're transferring?" she asked harshly.

"Glad to. You know this person very well. He lives in a small farm town down in the south."

"Edward," Riza piped in. El let the name sink in before her eyes darkened in anger.

"No fucking way!" she hissed, ignoring the death glare from her mother, "There is no way in hell I'm staying with that bastard!" Maes remained silent, and let out a sigh of relief that it was someone he knew. Roy glared at her icily.

"You will be staying with the Elrics until further notice. That's an order," he said coldly.

"An order I refuse to follow!" she said boldly.

"Oh, really?" he sneered, "Do you know what happens to people who don't follow their superior's orders, Elizabeth?" She averted her fiery gaze. "They get court-martialed for insubordination." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. There was no point. She grabbed her crutches, hoisted herself out of the couch, and hobbled out on her way to her room. Her brother appeared by her side within seconds.

"What do you want?" she muttered. Maes gave her a sympathetic glance.

"Well, you might need help packing since you're injured," he mumbled, shying away from her hard glare.

"Are you suggesting that I'm an invalid?" she asked hotly.

"No. I'm suggesting that you need to suck down your pride and let me help you," he said firmly.

She sighed, "Whatever. Do what you want." Then she gave her brother a challenging stare, "But I'm carrying my own luggage."

"Okay, but if that's the case, you'll need a backpack," he shrugged.

"Fine," she grumbled.

* * *

Alphonse sat on the bench at the station, looking up at the sky. Damn Central. Can't even see the stars. At least it was a nice night, although a little chilly. He pulled his coat tighter over his slender form, and sighed in relief when the train lights came into sight. Finally. He could take a nap, although that was doubtful considering how uncomfortable those damn seats were. Stupid trains.

The train pulled into the station. He was surprised by how many people got off before he could get on. What the hell did all these people travel so late for? He made his way on, finding a seat that was across from a young woman with her small daughter. The little girl beamed at him brightly, and he returned a wary smile back at her, raising his hand slightly in a small wave. He cocked an eyebrow when the girl giggled and hid her face.

She squirmed out of her mother's arms and waltzed over to him, ignoring the reprimand from her mother.

"What's your name?" she asked cutely.

"Alphonse," he said kindly.

"Are you a prince?" she whispered excitedly. He blinked, startled. A prince? Where the hell did that come from?

"I don't think so," he said awkwardly, "Why? Do I look like one?"

"Yup!" she chirped, "In my storybook, it said the prince is really pretty with blond hair!" Alphonse felt a bit of heat go to his face. She thinks he's…pretty?

Before he could stammer out a reply, her mother got fed up and dragged her child back to their seat, giving him an apologetic look.

"Bye, Mr. Pretty Man!" she called out, making the other few people on the train chuckle with amusement. He sunk down in his seat, feeling the warmth crawl up his face.

"Mr. Pretty Man, huh? Interesting nickname you got there, Blondie," Alphonse jolted in shock. He'd recognize that arrogant sneering voice anywhere. No way in hell. He must be hearing things. He slowly raised his head and felt dread sink in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't hallucinating. He was staring straight into the faces of the Mustang siblings.

* * *

If El would've had a camera, she would've taken a picture of the golden boy. His face was absolutely priceless. Alphonse rubbed his tired eyes and stared at her again.

"You're not hallucinating," she snapped irritably, taking the seat across from him while Maes took the seat next to him. His incredulous look was replaced with pure annoyance.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" he hissed.

"Ask my bastard father," she growled.

"Elie," Maes scolded, "You shouldn't talk about Dad that way."

"Shut up, Maes," she barked, "It's your fault we're in this mess."

"It is not!" he defended, a hurt look on his face.

"Whatever," she spat.

"Hey!" Alphonse raised his voice slightly. She glared at him.

"What?" she asked shortly.

"You didn't answer my damn question! Why are you two here? Isn't it past your bedtime?" he huffed.

"Why you-," she started.

"Our father is sending us to live with your family until further notice," Maes cut in. El crossed her arms and pouted.

"Please tell me you're joking," Alphonse groaned.

"It's not a joke. Even _I'm_ not that cruel," she said acidicly.

"Well, atleast you agree that this is cruel," he mumbled.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean? You're not the one being transferred to the boonies against your will," she said sulkily.

"No, instead I find out that I have to live with a psychopath who I've been desperately trying to get away from for the past week," he replied dryly.

"Look, you little-,"

"Guys!" Maes chimed in. El glared daggers at her brother, but he didn't seem fazed. "It's been a long day. We're all just tired and irritable. So instead of fighting, why don't we," he yawned, "get some sleep?"

"Fat chance of that happening," she grumbled, "These seats hurt my ass."

"Just try. Okay, Elie?" Maes pleaded, "We won't get there til really late, after all. You can even use my jacket as a pillow." El sighed in defeat.

"Did you not bring your own jacket?" Alphonse asked quietly, courtesy of Maes.

"I did, but it's gotten pretty beat up. I'm kind of rough on my clothes," she said, a little sheepish. He exhaled and shrugged off his thick coat. He threw it at her face roughly. She removed the fleece and glowered at him.

"What are you-,"

"I've gotten the most sleep out of all of us. You and Maes both need rest, so let Maes keep his coat and you can use mine," he explained casually. She looked at him and then at the coat. It was thick, and, although she would never admit it out loud, it was really soft.

"So you're not gonna sleep at all?" she asked doubtfully.

"I probably will later, but if you haven't noticed, I'm pretty thick-skulled," he said, lightening the mood, "I can sleep on anything. Besides, unlike you two, I've ridden the train a few times, so it's no big deal." El just looked at him curiously, gripping worn fabric tighter. She stared at him skeptically.

"You're sure?" she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he replied, annoyance creeping into his tone. When he noticed she still hesitated he lashed at her.

"Dammit, just take it!" he groaned, "If I really gave two shits about it, I wouldn't have given it to you. Geez."

"Okay," she said awkwardly, "Uh…"

"What is it now?" he asked impatiently. She thought for a second, trying to avoid direct eye contact. She wouldn't let herself be intimidated by those damn eyes. What was she going to say? Did it matter? He probably wouldn't care.

"…Nothing," she finished lamely. She started folding the coat, doing her best to ignore his muttered comments about 'stubborn girls' and 'crazy-ass militaristic families', and how it was all just a 'pain in the ass'.

When the coat was folded to her liking, she slowly set the crutches against the window and propped her injured ankle on the seat. She put the coat against the arm and rested her head on the woolen material. Within a matter of seconds, she blacked out, her last thoughts being about a certain comfortable coat that she was, somehow, going to end up stealing if she could.

* * *

Alphonse blearily flickered his eyes open. He wondered where they were. All he saw was bleak countryside, but it had to have been atleast two hours. Carefully, he snuck out of his car, not wanting to wake either of his companions, and searched for the nearest restroom to do his business.

On his way back to his car, he noticed the mom with the little girl again. The little girl was dozed off in her mother's lap. A small smile crept on his face as the nostalgia hit him in the face. He vaguely remembered doing the same thing with his own mother when he was around her age. He frowned, hoping she didn't spot him. He felt like a total creep just standing there in the dark staring at the small family. Just as that thought crossed his mind, the woman spotted him and made eye contact. He jolted.

"Sorry," he muttered, his face flushed. She giggled softly.

"It's all right," she assured. "Are you having trouble sleeping as well?" she asked benevolently.

"Yeah." He was technically lying. He had dozed off about an hour or so after they left. But, maybe the fact that he'd woken up so quickly counted for something. She nodded in understanding.

"I don't blame you. These seats are so uncomfortable," she chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess they are," he breathed.

"Would you like to sit down?" she invited, "I could use the company." He sighed gratefully and took the seat across from her.

"So, where are you headed?" she asked, trying to make small talk.

"Resembool," he replied tersely.

"I've been there once before. Nice, cute little town. The people were very friendly," she said fondly.

"Yeah, it's a nice place. I like it," he said wistfully, feeling himself loosen up a bit as he talked about his hometown.

"Where are you going this late?" he found himself asking.

"Liore."

"Ahh," he grunted.

"Have you been there?" she asked.

"No, but my parents have told me stories about it," he explained. Just as she was about to reply, they heard a man's voice on the intercom.

"Attention, passengers! We will be arriving at our next stop, Resembool, in 8 minutes," they announced.

"That's me," he sighed, "It was…uhh…nice talking to you…uhh…" he trailed off.

"Caroline," she giggled.

"Right," he said sheepishly.

"And what would your name be?" she asked. "I'm sure it's not Mr. Pretty Man like my daughter seems to think," she teased, and he felt a light blush come on his face.

"Alphonse," he said shyly.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Alphonse," she dismissed. He went back to his car, giving her a small clumsy wave. He stared at his two companions, the small blond in the same position he was in when Alphonse left, and the grouchy black-haired girl muttering to herself in her sleep. He didn't really feel like having his peace broken by the sharp-tongued older sibling just yet, so he proceeded in trying to wake Maes first.

"Hey, get up," he whispered, shaking the boy gently. The boy didn't even flinch. Alphonse tried jarring him more roughly.

"Hey, get up!" he said a little louder. Maes flipped over on top of his coat, but otherwise, didn't awaken. Alphonse exhaled loudly. It looked like he'd have to use the same method he used to wake Trisha when she had to go to school. He brought his hand up, and patted the boy's smooth cheeks; hard enough to where he'd feel it, but soft enough to where it wouldn't hurt.

He limply batted his hands away, and Alphonse thought that he'd made a breakthrough. But, alas, his eyes didn't open. Alphonse was starting to wonder if he was faking it just to piss him off. But, that sounded more like something that the older one would do. But, who knows? Maybe she rubbed off on her brother more than he realized.

He had to get them up though. They were almost at the station, and he was itching to get to his house and collapse on his soft bed. But in order to do that, the stupid kid would have to wake up! Geez, now he knew how his dad felt. When Alphonse was younger, he tended to lay in bed for hours in the morning after his dad woke him up. His dad got really irritated with him, called him a sloth, and yanked the sheets from underneath him, making him fall off.

Alphonse really didn't want to have to do that to Maes, but he wasn't really getting many other options. He quickly snatched the polyester coat that the boy was using as a pillow, and snatched it out from under his head, fast as lightning. Alphonse cringed slightly when he heard Maes' head hit the hard seat with a slight thunk. He took a guilty peek at the blond and nearly jaw-dropped. The damn kid was still asleep! He groaned. Who knew that waking up a nine year old boy would be such a pain in the ass?

* * *

El had been in one of her most peaceful sleeps in a long time. It's been years since she hasn't had a single dream.

"Hey," she heard a rough whisper. Who was this person and why did they insist on disturbing her tranquil slumber?

"Hey, get up!" They whispered again.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled. The mystery man sighed.

"Don't tempt me. I just might ditch you here," they threatened humorlessly. Why did that sarcastic tone sound so familiar? Was she imagining it?

"Go ahead," she challenged sleepily, letting her mind blank out again. As she made herself comfortable, the cloth underneath her head slipped out from under her and she banged her head on the arm of the seat, jolting awake. She moaned and rubbed her aching head, dazedly glaring at her attacker.

Her mind was fuzzy, preventing her from making out the silhouette, but she saw gold and caught on pretty quickly. She had gotten kidnapped and managed to break her ankle in the process. Afterwards, her dad had 'transferred' her to live with the Elrics and now she was on the train with Alphonse and Maes. She grimaced. Just remembering today's events gave her a headache.

"You jackass! I was sleeping," she said hostilely, her words slurred.

"I noticed," Alphonse said flatly.

"Then why the hell did you wake me?" she griped sleepily.

"Because we're pulling into the station," he replied, ignoring her harsh tone.

"How come you didn't wake Maes?" she asked indignantly. A dark look of doom passed over his face.

"Believe me. I've been trying for the past 5 minutes," he groaned, "The kid's a freaking rock! I tried slapping him, yanking his coat from under him, nothing works!" his voice went up a pitch. She stared at him blankly, cocking an eyebrow.

"Did you try poking him?" she asked. He twitched.

"What? Why the hell would I poke him?" he asked quizzically.

"It wakes him up. He's extremely ticklish, so a quick jab to the side wakes him up pretty quickly," she informed. He raised his hand and gingerly touched Maes' side with his pointer finger. She rolled her eyes.

"Poke like a man!" she criticized, "He won't even feel it if you're that soft." He glared at her.

"Well, if you're such an expert, why don't you do it?" he growled.

"Why do I have to do everything?" she complained.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he gave her a look that said 'You have issues'. "During this week, you've only done two things:" he counted off his fingers, "Make my life hell and act like a crazy-ass bitch, neither of which are productive." All of this being said with a completely straight face.

"Piss off," she hissed.

"I wish I could," he exhaled, "but I prefer not to be incinerated." She ignored him and stabbed her brother's sides with her nail. He jumped literally a foot off the seat and landed on the ground. She couldn't help snickering at his reaction. He looked around frantically for his attacker, and scowled when he saw her smug face.

"Elie," he whined, "I told you not to do that."

"Well, if you actually got off your ass, I wouldn't have to," she responded coolly. "We're here, so let's go," she said, brushing off his hostile glance.

"Oh," he immediately brightened up, "Okay!" She wearily grabbed her crutches and hobbled off the train, her bag hanging off of her shoulders.

"How far away is your house from here?" she asked, taking a quick glance at the blond boy. He flung his coat over his shoulder and furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Probably around 30 minutes if we walk fast," he finally concluded. She let out an exasperated groan.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Sorry," he said unsympathetically. "But the faster we move, the faster you can go back to sleep," he reassured. "And give me some peace," she heard him mutter and she resisted the urge to whack him with one of her crutches.

"Fine," she said wearily, not having the energy to argue with the blond.

As they walked through the countryside, she managed to let a few snide comments escape her lips.

"Wow," she said unimpressed, "This place is so…desolate." Surprisingly, Alphonse didn't seem offended or really to care at all.

"Elie, that's not very nice," Maes reproached her, still angry about what happened on the train.

"What? Is it not the truth?"

"Doesn't matter. You should try using a different word," he preached.

"Really?" she said sardonically, "Like what?"

"Hmm," he pondered, chin in his hand, "Queer. That would be a better way to describe it."

"That's more offensive than just calling it a wasteland," Alphonse muttered.

"How so?" Maes asked, his eyes wide.

"Because you're trying too hard to find something nice to say. Out here in the country, we just prefer it if you'd speak your mind. If you try to sugarcoat it, you make it seem like we don't have the intellect to handle a bit of criticism," he said monotonously.

"Sorry," Maes said guiltily.

"Whatever," he said candidly, "I don't really give a damn either way." He narrowed his eyes at the darkness. "We're here," he informed.

"Really?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" he retorted.

"I just figured that the great Edward Elric would live in a big, fancy mansion to suit his ego," she said sweetly, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we don't take advantage of our fame unlike some people," he said cheekily, giving her a pointed stare. She sent him a nasty look in response.

As they approached the white two-story, she half expected him to get the key from under the rug like in all those cliché novels. But since there was no rug, he took a random safety pin from out of his pocket. She wasn't even going to question why he had a safety pin randomly in his pocket; it wouldn't be worth it. He stuck the head of the pin into the lock and jiggled the doorknob a few times, cursing under his breath the longer it took.

When he finally got it open, he mockingly ushered them into the house, a smug grin playing on his face. Geez, he acted like picking a lock was such a huge accomplishment. But then again, for him it probably was. She walked into the living room and felt her breath hitch. So much furniture…and it looked comfortable to sleep on. More comfortable than a train seat anyway. She ogled a particular couch at the end of the room. It was maroon, plush, and inviting.

Just as she was about to plop her body down on the couch, she noticed Alphonse eyeing the room with a troubled look on his face.

"Don't tell me we're in the wrong house," she asked unenthused.

"You really don't think very highly of my intelligence, do you?" he sighed. She shrugged, starting to sway on her crutches from exhaustion.

"That's weird. They're usually up at this time still. This is out of character," he mumbled to himself. She disregarded that comment and hopped on one foot over to the couch, her crutches in one hand. She moaned in relief when her tired body sunk down into the polyester material, immediately starting to go into an unconscious comatose state.

"What's out of character?" she heard an amused voice coming from the doorway. She peeked one eye open halfway and saw a woman with long blond hair and deep blue eyes. She looked as if she was in her early thirties or mid twenties. El vaguely recognized her from a brief meeting they had about 5 years ago. What was her name again? Wendy? No, that's not it. Winry! That was it! Alphonse's mother.

* * *

A few moments ago

Alphonse gazed at the room, slightly troubled. No one was in here. Were they asleep already?

"That's weird," he pondered out loud, watching out of the corner of his eye as El slinked away and made herself comfortable on the couch. "They're usually up at this time still. This is out of character."

"What's out of character?" The voice made him jump.

"Oh, sorry mom. I didn't know you'd still be up," he said guiltily.

"You didn't honestly think I'd be able to go to bed before I knew you were safe at home?" she said wryly, although it sounded more like a question.

"Sorry," he repeated, "So is Dad up too?" he asked. She rolled her eyes affectionately.

"He was but he hasn't slept much the past week, so I forced him to go to bed."

"Did you have to use the wrench?" he asked, smirking.

"Nope. Apparently, he's learned over the years," she chuckled. She changed the subject, "Anyway," she yawned, "you should go on up to bed and I'll bring these two some blankets."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," he said.

"Why not?" She gave him a questioning glance. He jerked his hand out and motioned to El and Maes who were both out like lights already. She made an 'Oh' sign with her mouth, put her fingers to her lips and then forcefully pointed to the stairs. He was happy to oblige if it meant he could finally sleep.

When he saw the familiarity of the room, he felt relief and slight joy wash over him. This was his home. He quickly stripped off his dirty shirt and torn jeans, throwing them on the ground in haste. He dived underneath the covers and all the exhaustion of yesterday hit him. He knew he had some explaining to do for why he came home at this hour, but that could wait until morning.

For now, he could just close his eyes and let the sleep overtake him.

* * *

_A/N~ Ahh character development. You know you love it. :P _

_Next time: El and Maes get to meet the Elrics. I wonder how that will turn out. _

_Review, please! :D_


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